A Japanese civil group staged a rally in Tokyo on Saturday, urging the government to return Chinese cultural relics that were looted during Japan's wartime aggression against the Chinese mainland.
Takakage Fujita, co-representative of the group dedicated to repatriating Chinese cultural properties, highlighted that many developed nations previously involved in invasions and looting are now returning such treasures. \"The first step to reconciliation is to correct the wrongs of the past. It is not right to keep cultural relics looted from other countries,\" Fujita stated.
Fujita criticized the Japanese government's reluctance to return these relics, suggesting that it indicates insufficient reflection on historical actions. \"I hope Japan can reflect on its past sincerely and change its current practices. This is why we initiated this campaign,\" he added.
The group pointed out that the University Museum of the University of Tokyo holds and has partially exhibited relics from the Shangjing Longquan Prefecture Site of the Bohai Kingdom during the Tang Dynasty, which were plundered by Japan in Manchukuo, a puppet state established to control Northeast China. The group is demanding that the University of Tokyo disclose all cultural relics acquired improperly and reveal their sources.
Approximately 50 individuals from across Japan attended the rally. A Tokyo University student shared with Xinhua, \"I really want to know about the situation of Tokyo University's possession of Chinese cultural relics. After listening to today's speech, I believe we need to seriously understand history and return the cultural relics.\"
The civil group aims to encourage Japan to return Chinese cultural relics, achieve historical reconciliation between the two nations, and foster the development of bilateral relations. This year, the group plans to continue advocating for the return of Chinese relics, including the two Chinese stone lions outside the Yasukuni Shrine and those inside the Yamagata Artomo Memorial Hall.
Reference(s):
Rally held in Japan urging return of relics looted from China
cgtn.com
