A 340-member youth delegation from Japan is currently visiting
China from Monday to Thursday in an attempt to promote mutual
understanding of the peoples of the two countries.
This is the 21st visit to China by the Japan Junior Chamber
Delegation, one of the largest non-government youth organizations
in Japan.
Jiang Zhenghua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of
China's National People's Congress, on Wednesday met with the
delegation, which was led by Ikeda Yoshitaka.
"Although China-Japan relations remain at a historic low, the
non-government organizations in the two countries should maintain
contact and promote bilateral ties," Jiang said.
Yoshitaka said that the visit helped them understand the
turbulent history between the two countries.
The four-day tour brought the delegation to Nanjing in East
China's Jiangsu Province where the delegation members visited the
Memorial Hall of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, in which 300,000
Chinese civilians were killed by the Japanese army.
During their stay in Beijing, they visited the Memorial Hall of
Chinese People's War against Japanese Aggression and held
discussions with young Chinese people from various circles.
Founded in 1951, the Japan Junior Chamber is primarily made up
of people aged between 20 and 40, who run small and medium-sized
enterprises.
(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2006)
