China, Japan to hold talks to narrow history gap |
文章来源： 文章作者： 发布时间：2006-12-27 05:28 字体： [ 大 中 小] 进入论坛 |
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| Dec. 26 - Japanese and Chinese academics will start joint1 studies on their long and sometimes war-torn history this week as part of the two countries' efforts to improve ties strained by persistent2 disputes over the past. Sino-Japanese relations were frosty for much of the past half-decade, largely because of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine3, seen by Beijing as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Koizumi's successor, Shinzo Abe, moved to mend fences, visiting China in October just weeks after he took office. At a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, the two leaders agreed on the need for joint history studies.
Twenty academics, 10 from each side, will meet for two days in Beijing from Tuesday in the first round of what is expected to be twice-yearly discussions that aim to conclude with a report sometime in 2008.
Shinichi Kitaoka, a political science professor at the University of Tokyo who heads the Japanese group, said gaps between the Asian neighbours' perceptions of history were too great at present, endangering the future of the relationship.
"At the moment, we're in a very unhealthy situation where deadlock4 over history is preventing politicians from tackling present and future issues," he told a recent news conference.
"The gap is too wide. I don't intend to forcibly fill it altogether, but I intend to narrow it as much as possible through academic debate," Kitaoka said.
Along with ancient and mediaeval history, the academics will look into the contentious5 area of modern history, when Japan invaded and occupied parts of China from 1931 to 1945.
While Abe has made headway in repairing ties with Beijing by taking a policy of "strategic ambiguity6", not stating whether he would go to Yasukuni in the future, some potential pitfalls7 remain.
Lawmakers in Abe's ruling party have formed a group to review a 1993 government statement acknowledging the Japanese Imperial Army's involvement in recruiting so-called comfort women to work in brothels and serve Japanese soldiers.
China will be watching to see whether Abe stays away from Yasukuni. Before he became prime minister Abe had defended Koizumi's visits and had often gone to the shrine himself, including as recently as last April.
The academics know the studies will be no easy task.
"Results will not show up so easily," Kitaoka said.
A similar joint history study between Japan and South Korea took three years and the final report released last year only highlighted their differences, stating the views of both sides.
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点击  收听单词发音
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1
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 |
参考例句： |
- I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
- We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。
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2
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 |
参考例句： |
- Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
- She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。
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3
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 |
参考例句： |
- The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
- They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。
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4
deadlock
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| n.僵局，僵持 |
参考例句： |
- The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
- The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。
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5
contentious
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| adj.好辩的，善争吵的 |
参考例句： |
- She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
- Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。
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6
ambiguity
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| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 |
参考例句： |
- The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
- Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。
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7
pitfalls
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| （捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误 |
参考例句： |
- the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
- Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。
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