【英语国际】日本首相避谈有关南京大屠杀的争议

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says he's committed to improving ties with China this year, the 40th anniversary of normalization of relations between the two Asian giants.

But it's what he won't say that could intensify tensions with Beijing.

At a meeting with foreign journalists Saturday, Mr. Noda was asked by a Hong Kong television reporter about recent controversial comments by the mayor of Nagoya, who publicly doubted that the infamous 1937 'rape of Nanjing' by Japanese soldiers had actually taken place during Japan's occupation of China. The comments sparked a widespread furor in China, and Nanjing last month suspended its sister-city ties with Nagoya in protest.

The reporter asked how Mr. Noda felt about the fact that the remarks weren't retracted. He avoided doing so, or repudiating them.

'This is a matter that should be properly resolved between the city of Nagoya and the city of Nanjing, and I very much hope the matter will be resolved as early as possible,' he said.

Since World War II, numerous Japanese leaders have struggled to find the right tone in discussing Japan's invasion and occupation of neighboring countries. They've usually tried to show some form of remorse, while avoiding acknowledgement of atrocities. The leaders of China and Korea have regularly insisted Japanese leaders must go further if they want more friendly ties.

'You refer to a perception of history,' Mr. Noda continued, without saying which mayor's perception he himself shared ─ the mayor of Nanjing or Nagoya. He noted that, from time to time, such issues come up between the two countries. 'We have to make sure from the broader perspective that these will not inevitably affect our bilateral relations,' he said. 'I believe the reasonable path for us is to proceed with that basic understanding.'

Mr. Noda's cautious tone echoed earlier statements by Japanese officials over the latest controvery. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the dispute should be properly resolved between the city of Nagoya and the city of Nanjing.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Japan's official stance on the Nanjing Massacre is that it is 'aware there are a variety of debates regarding the factual situation, but we cannot deny there were killings of noncombatants and acts of robbery after the defunct Imperial army entered Nanjing in 1937.'

日本首相野田佳彦(Yoshihiko Noda)说，今年他将致力于改善对华关系。今年是这两个亚洲大国之间邦交正常化40周年。

不过，他不会说出的话才是可能加剧与北京紧张关系的症结所在。

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images3月3日，野田佳彦在外国记者会上在上周六的外国记者会上，一名香港的电视台记者问野田佳彦对最近名古屋市长引发争议的言论有何看法。名古屋市长最近公开质疑，日军占领中国期间，1937年是否真的进行过耸人听闻的南京大屠杀。此话在中国引发了普遍的强烈不满，南京市上个月暂停了与名古屋市的友好城市关系以示抗议。

这位香港记者问，野田佳彦对名古屋市长的话没有被收回怎么看。他避而不谈，也没有批评名古屋市长的言论。

他说，此事应由名古屋市和南京市妥善解决，我非常希望此事能够尽快解决。

自二战以来，很多日本领导人在讨论日军对邻国的侵略和占领行为时，一直难以做出令人满意的表态。他们常常努力显示出一些懊悔之情，同时避免承认暴行。中国和韩国的领导人一再坚决表示，如果日本领导人希望建立更加友好的关系，他们必须更进一步。

野田佳彦继续说，你所说的是一种对历史的看法。他没有说自己同意哪位市长的观点──是南京市长还是名古屋市长。他指出，这类问题一再在中日两国之间出现。他说，我们必须从更广的角度上确保这类问题不会最终影响到两国的双边关系；我认为合理的做法是在这样一个基本认识的基础上继续前进。

野田佳彦的谨慎表态符合此前日本官员对名古屋市长引发争议的言论的说法。日本外务省说，争议应在名古屋市和南京市之间妥善解决。

日本外务省发言人说，日本对于南京大屠杀的官方立场是，日本政府认识到对于真实的情况存在各种争论，但我们不能否认1937年（现已不存在的）日本皇军进入南京后，存在杀害非作战人员和抢劫的行为。