MK sports Korea secretary-general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during the 9th meeting of the China-Japan Ruling Party Exchange Mechanism on Jan, 14, 2025. IC" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-06/fec9ebae-90c7-4103-8931-4b0fc865ba83.jpeg" />

Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during the 9th meeting of the China-Japan Ruling Party Exchange Mechanism on Jan, 14, 2025. IC

 

The foundation of Japan-China relations lies in people-to-people exchanges, especially among the younger generations, which should never be disrupted regardless of the state of Japan-China relations, Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview after he led a delegation of Japan's ruling coalition to visit China in mid-January for a dialogue mechanism that was resumed after nearly seven years.

On January 31, Moriyama officially took over from Toshihiro Nikai as the new chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union, vowing to continue to seek dialogue and consensus with China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Friday congratulated Moriyama on his appointment. Lin said that Moriyama is a senior Japanese politician who cares about and supports China-Japan exchanges, and the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union is one of the seven Japanese organizations dedicated to promoting bilateral friendship. "China looks forward to the continued efforts of the union under Moriyama's leadership to further strengthen China-Japan friendship," said Lin.

During the Japanese delegation's three-day visit to China from January 13 to 15, the resumed 9th meeting of the China-Japan Ruling Party Exchange Mechanism, which Moriyama said symbolized the restart of exchanges between the ruling parties, was convened under the theme "The mission and responsibility of China-Japan ruling parties in the context of major global changes".

"The meeting reaffirmed the importance of government-level communication and party-to-party exchanges. The members of the ruling parties from both sides should collect their wisdom and convert that into a driving force to boost Japan-China relations," said Moriyama.

Moriyama said that the two sides especially confirmed the importance of face-to-face exchanges in the fields of both personnel and culture. 

Regarding the future of China-Japan relations, Moriyama told the Global Times that it is crucial to directly face up to the various issues and unresolved problems, and then implement cooperation and collaboration in a tangible way so that the Chinese and Japanese people can truly feel the positive development of bilateral relations.

"Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai talked about 'seeking common ground while reserving differences' during Tanaka's visit to China to normalize Japan-China diplomatic ties. And they agreed on the importance of deepening Japan-China relations in this spirit," Moriyama said.

"Based on such spirit, I think encouraging more Japanese members of parliament to visit China and allowing more senior Chinese officials to visit Japan will help deepen mutual understanding and trust between the two countries. This idea has been recognized by the Chinese side," Moriyama said.

During the interview, Moriyama also mentioned his visit to Tsinghua University on the first day of his arrival, when he toured an exhibition on Chinese classical culture and discussed educational cooperation with Qiu Yong, secretary of the Communist Party of China Tsinghua University Committee.

"I took a photo at Tsinghua's Second School Gate, which has more than 100 years of history. The white gate against the blue sky really impressed me, just like the earnest gaze and radiant smiles of Tsinghua students," Moriyama said.

Moriyama said that the diligent and energetic young generation in China represents the hope for the country's future development and that he firmly believed that youthful energy will become the driving force for the development of Japan-China relations in the future. 

Moriyama expressed his sincere hope that young people in both Japan and China will actively engage with their peers and cultivate friendships. "In order to pass the baton of Japan-China exchanges to the next generation, we will continue to do our utmost to expand and deepen exchanges," he said.