A passionate rally unfolded in Tokyo on Saturday as a Japanese civil group called for the return of Chinese cultural relics looted during Japan's aggression against China. The demonstration, attended by around 50 people from across Japan, highlighted the ongoing call for historical reconciliation between the two nations.
Takakage Fujita, co-representative of the group advocating for the repatriation of Chinese cultural properties, emphasized the importance of addressing past wrongs. \"Many developed countries that invaded others and looted cultural relics are now returning them. It's time for Japan to follow suit,\" Fujita stated.
The group pointed to the University Museum of the University of Tokyo, which holds artifacts from the Shangjing Longquan Prefecture Site of the Bohai Kingdom, plundered during Japan's control of Manchukuo in the Tang Dynasty era. They demand full disclosure of all cultural relics acquired through improper means and their current whereabouts.
A University of Tokyo student attending the rally shared, \"I really want to know about the situation of Tokyo University's possession of Chinese cultural relics. After listening to today's speech, I think we need to seriously understand history and return the cultural relics.\"
The civil group's mission extends beyond relaying demands; it seeks to foster stronger bilateral relations by achieving historical reconciliation. This year, they aim to continue their efforts, specifically targeting the return of Chinese stone lions from sites like Yasukuni Shrine and Yamagata Artomo Memorial Hall.
Fujita concluded, \"The first step to reconciliation is to correct the wrongs of the past. Keeping looted cultural relics is not right. We hope Japan can genuinely reflect on its history and change its current practices.\"
Reference(s):
Rally held in Japan urging return of relics looted from China
cgtn.com
