Nagoya, Japan, 30 Apr (Xinhua) -- Looking at the photos of Premier Zhou Enlai meeting them at the Great Hall of the People 50 years ago, Oda Yusuke sighed with emotion: "Most of the people in the photos have passed away, and I am the only One left in the Japanese quartet who visited China that year. ”
Data chart: On January 29, 1971, Premier Zhou Enlai of the State Council, Guo Moruo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and honorary president of the China-Japan Friendship Association, met with Mr. Koji Goto (fourth from the left), president of the Japan Table Tennis Association, and his entourage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qi Tieyan
The photo was taken on January 29, 1971. Wearing a light-colored suit, Oda stood on the far left of the front row, when he was only 25 years old and was the secretary of Koji Goto, the president of the Japan Table Tennis Association. Standing in the middle of the seven people in the front row is Koji Goto, who is also the chairman of the Asian Table Tennis Federation, his right is Premier Zhou, and on his left is Guo Moruo, then honorary president of the China-Japan Friendship Association. The other two members of the foursome, Hisahira Muraoka, a representative of the Japan-Chinese Exchange Association, and Motake Mori, director of the Japan Table Tennis Association, stood next to Premier Zhou and Guo Moruo, respectively. Standing in the back row were personnel from the China-Japan Friendship Association and the China Table Tennis Association.
From the position of the personnel in this black-and-white photo, it can be seen that Goto Kōji and his party were treated in Beijing. It was also this meeting that paved the way for ping-pong diplomacy more than two months later.
On April 17, before attending a seminar to commemorate the 50th anniversary of table tennis diplomacy at the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yusuke Oda, 75, gave an exclusive interview to Xinhua News Agency, recalling the historical moment of following Goto Kappaji's visit to China and participating in the Sino-Japanese talks.
Yusuke Oda was interviewed by Xinhua News Agency
The purpose of Goto's visit to China was to invite the Chinese team to participate in the 31st World Table Tennis Championships held in Nagoya, Japan, two months later. The Chinese team has been absent for two tournaments before, and the reason why Goto Feels like an opportunity to invite the Chinese team to compete is that Oda Yusuke believes that he captured the "positive signal" sent by Premier Zhou during a meeting.
Mr. Goto had always felt that the Chinese team would not participate, but the turning point occurred in October 1970, when Premier Zhou met with the delegation of the Japan-Chinese Exchange Association in Beijing, he informed the delegation of the Japan-Japan Chinese Exchange Association headed by Nakajima Kenzo that the Sino-Japanese table tennis friendly match could be carried out by the Chinese side by inviting the Japanese table tennis team to China. During the meeting, Premier Zhou also spoke in particular about Mr. Goto, saying that he was an old friend of Chinese people and asked Mr. Nakajima to say hello to Mr. Goto after returning to China. ”
"Mr. Goto had never actually met Premier Zhou before, but he had led a delegation to Beijing to participate in an invitational tournament in 1966, so Premier Zhou must have learned about these situations in advance."
On August 24, 1966, the Japanese men's and women's table tennis team led by The Acting President of the Japan Table Tennis Association, Kazuji Goto, arrived in Beijing to participate in the Beijing International Table Tennis Invitational Tournament. Photo gallery of China
When Koji Goto heard the news that Kenzo Nakajima had brought back, he made up his mind to invite the Chinese team to compete. However, at that time, China and Japan had not yet established diplomatic relations, and Goto Kōji first encountered great resistance in Japan. China is a member of the International Table Tennis Federation, but the Taiwan authorities occupy the seat of the Asian Table Tennis Federation. According to the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation, in order to become a member of the Asian Table Tennis Federation, it is necessary to first obtain membership in the International Table Tennis Federation, so the seat of the Taiwan authorities in the Asian Table Tennis Federation is obviously illegal. Another point is that since 1958, the Chinese side has always demanded that Japan abide by the "three principles" of Sino-Japanese relations and politics, which Premier Zhou put forward when he met with the Japanese Socialist Party delegation.
The "three principles" were aimed at the Japanese government's China policy at that time, demanding that the Japanese government: First, do not be hostile to China; second, do not create "two Chinas"; third, do not obstruct the development of Sino-Japanese relations in the direction of normalization.
Yusuke Oda said that Goto Kōji is well aware of the two major problems facing him: First, to remove the Taiwan authorities from the Asian Table Tennis Federation; second, to recognize the "three principles" of sino-Japanese relations and politics.
"On the issue of the 'Three Principles', Mr. Goto went to discuss with the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, but was rejected by the competent authorities. However, in the end, after discussion, the Japan Table Tennis Association believed that the "three principles" were acceptable, and for the Taiwan issue, the Japan Table Tennis Association could propose a bill to cancel the membership of the Taiwan authorities at the provisional meeting of the Asian Table Tennis Federation held in Singapore in February 1971. ”
Yusuke Oda tells the story of the past
As a result, Goto Ando and his party of four began their visit to China, but the negotiations were very difficult. According to the narrative of Zhou Enlai's biography, in the text proposed by Goto as the basis for the talks between the table tennis associations of the two countries, it is clearly written that the "three principles of Sino-Japanese relations and politics" should be observed. However, during the talks, the Chinese representative insisted that the Taiwan issue should be written into the minutes and advocated that the words of the "political 'three principles'" should be placed in the first article of the minutes. At this time, Sino-Japanese relations had not yet been normalized, and the situation in Japan was more complicated, and Goto felt embarrassed.
"The Chinese side was tough, but at that time, Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations did not resume, and Mr. Goto's Aichi Institute of Technology, of which Mr. Goto was president, had to accept funding from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and Mr. Goto could not openly oppose the Japanese government's position."
In addition to the formal negotiations, the two sides also had some transactional consultations, which did not require the presence of the heads of both sides, and Oda Yusuke was responsible for communication, reporting to Goto After each consultation. In the end, the two sides were still unable to reach a consensus on the disputed issues.
After three or four rounds of negotiations, Goto felt that the purpose of his visit to China was going to be frustrated. Just the day before he was ready to return home, the Chinese side suddenly proposed a new plan, successfully avoiding the point of difference, and the two sides held a new consultation.
"Mr. Goto was relieved, surprised and relieved."
Yusuke Oda attends a seminar to commemorate the 50th anniversary of table tennis diplomacy at the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and Industry
In fact, they did not know that Premier Zhou held a coordination meeting at the most critical moment. According to an article recently published by the Lookout Think Tank titled "In 1971, the Six People Behind the 'Ping-Pong Diplomacy'", Premier Zhou demanded that "everything should be based on substance, and there should be no formal controversy."
Oda said they had no idea it was because Premier Zhou played a key role. "We learned a long time after we returned to Japan that it should be after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan."
If the negotiation is successful, wait for the signing of the contract. Oda, Morio, and Muraoka, who were relaxed, went out for a drink that night, and halfway through the drink, they were suddenly informed that Premier Zhou was going to meet them at the Great Hall of the People.
We hurried back to our rooms to wash our faces and change our clothes, and hurriedly took a car from the Beijing Hotel to the Great Hall of the People. Premier Zhou and Mr. Guo Moruo were already waiting for us in the Great Hall, and after shaking hands with Goto, he led us all the way to the Tianjin Hall of the Great Hall. ”
The people who attended the meeting were all people who had fiercely clashed with each other in the negotiations these days, and after entering the hall, everyone lined up first to take pictures, leaving that precious historical moment.
In the interview, Oda Yusuke sometimes said that some details are not clear, but for this meeting, he particularly emphasized that "the impression is like yesterday".
Premier Zhou praised Mr. Goto's courage, and everyone was very happy to hear these words. Mr. Goto reviewed the process of negotiations between the two sides to Premier Zhou and said that he would immediately go to the meeting in Singapore to propose the removal of the Taiwan authorities from the Asian Table Tennis Federation. ”
The meeting, which was scheduled for an hour, lasted an hour and a half and was very harmonious. Because Premier Zhou and Guo Moruo both lived in Japan in their early years, both of them talked about some japanese past. Oda remembers that Premier Zhou mentioned Lake Biwa, and Guo Moruo mentioned Kyoto. What surprised him the most was that Premier Zhou was very familiar with table tennis, and everyone in the delegation was surprised that the prime minister of a country knew so much about table tennis.
Of course, what impressed Him most about Premier Zhou was his great personality. "At that time, I thought he was a great man, his dress was simple, but very tasteful, his eyes were very wise, and his wording was rigorous. When Premier Zhou listened to the question, he was very serious, but his eyes were shining and he was very relaxed when he laughed, which made people feel very close. ”
On the second day of the meeting, the two sides signed the minutes of the talks at the Beijing Hotel, and Guo Moruo was entrusted by Premier Zhou to attend the signing ceremony. Unbeknownst to Oda, Koji Goto did not feel at ease, and after signing the signature, they immediately set off for Singapore. However, things did not go well, and after Goto Kazuji put forward a proposal at the meeting of the Asian Table Tennis Federation, he was opposed by some members, so he announced his resignation as chairman of the Asian Table Tennis Federation and withdrew in anger.
"I also followed him out of the venue and back to the room, where he said to the three of us, 'I'm now at least half of what I promised Premier Zhou.'" Because he has successfully invited the Chinese team to participate in the Nagoya World Table Tennis Championships.
The opening ceremony of the 31st World Table Tennis Championships was held on the afternoon of March 28, 1971 at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan. The picture shows Chinese table tennis players entering the playing field. Xinhua News Agency
Later, the world knew that the handshake between The American player Cohen and the Chinese team Zhuang Zedong became the most memorable shot of that World Table Tennis Championships, and finally contributed to the table tennis diplomacy that changed the world. Koji Goto died of a sudden heart attack a year later at the age of 65.
"Mr. Goto has always been very pleased with this matter, and he had hoped to continue to do something for Sino-Japanese friendship, at least to see the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, but unfortunately he died too early."
Koji Goto's son-in-law, Jun Goto, later inherited his father-in-law's unfinished business and continued to work for Sino-Japanese friendship, and Oda Yusuke has always followed Goto Jun, but unfortunately Goto Jun also passed away last year. Yusuke Oda has visited China more than 20 times and witnessed the tremendous changes in China over the past 50 years. On October 25, 1979, the IOC Executive Committee passed a resolution in Nagoya, Japan, to restore the people's republic of China's legitimate seat on the IOC. Yusuke Oda also witnessed another major historical moment in Chinese sports.
Photo: Prince Jiang
Text editors: Liang Jinxiong, Liu Yang, Liu Ning, Ding Wenxian
New Media Editor: Wang Haoyu
Proofreaders: Huang Xuguo, Wu Bowen
Issued: Public Soldier
Copyright belongs to Xinhua News Agency And may not be reproduced without permission