To develop good-neighborly relations between Japan and China is in the fundamental interest of the peoples of both countries and conducive to peace and stability in Asia, said the leader of a Japan-China friendship group.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Kyuhei Muraoka, director general of the Japan-China Friendship Association, said the current stalemate in the relations between the two countries should largely be blamed on the Japanese government's failure to properly treat historical problems.

If these issues are appropriately handled, sound Japan-China relations will come true, he stressed.

The association urged the Japanese government to take a correct attitude toward the country's historical issues and appealed to Japanese leaders and the ruling party, in light of the overall situation, to stop the practices that have led to mistrust between the neighboring countries. Only in this way could the two countries see the development of their friendly relationship, he said.

As for the Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines Japan's Class-A World War II war criminals, Muraoka noted that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine have played an important role in straining bilateral relations.

Japanese leaders should refrain from paying pilgrimage to the shrine as such pilgrimage has been opposed by a great majority of the Japanese people, he said.

Muraoka stressed that the smooth development of bilateral political relations hinges on the solution of the shrine issue and a bitter political tie would have a negative impact on the economic relationship.

Muraoka has been dedicated to promoting the Japan-China friendly relationship since his first visit to China in the 1950s.

Despite the difficulties, he said, the bilateral friendship is bound to and must move forward.

Referring to a grass-roots symposium held last week at which civilian groups of the two countries called for an early normalization of the tense relations, Muraoka said such a meeting was of great significance when the bilateral relationship had come to the crunch.

He pointed out that there is every reason for the peoples of Japan and China to coexist in a friendly way, given the centuries- old ties.

Muraoka urged the Japanese leaders to deal with the Japan-China relations from a global perspective.

Japanese leaders should abstain from visiting the Yasukuni Shrine and this would be conducive not only to a friendly bilateral relationship, but also to peace and stability in Asia, he said.

Source: Xinhua