After Japan's defeat in 1945, sino-Japanese relations entered a freezing point, and the two countries severed diplomatic relations. Japan's pro-US and anti-Chinese relations with the Taiwan authorities have further led to the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. However, with the changes in the international political situation, the Japanese authorities have realized that the restoration of diplomatic relations between China and Japan is the trend of the times and the aspiration of the people.
After a series of secret consultations, in September 1972, kakuei Tanaka, then Prime Minister of Japan, personally visited China, and the prime minister was responsible for receiving it, thus opening a new chapter in the post-war relations between the two countries.
However, on the first day of the visit, Kakuei Tanaka said a word, and the prime minister refused. What exactly did Prime Minister Tanaka say? What is the story behind this visit?
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > The Japanese side was betrayed by its allies</h1>
The opening paragraph mentions that after Japan's defeat in the war, it practiced a foreign policy of "pro-US and anti-Chinese" and the right-wing forces in The country were rampant. Eisaku Sato became Prime Minister of Japan in 1964 and reigned for eight years. In the past eight years, he has visited the Yasukuni Shrine dozens of times without any remorse.
After a series of suffocating maneuvers, Sino-Japanese relations have completely reached a dead end, and China's hostility toward Japan has only increased. The Sato cabinet hated China in order to show loyalty to the Americans as a sign of closeness. But he never expected that his allies would "defect" first.
On February 21, 1972, then-US President Nixon visited China, normalizing Sino-US relations. But the Japanese government did not receive news from the United States in advance, and they learned a few minutes before Nixon boarded the plane that China and the United States were about to resume diplomatic relations.
Affected by Nixon's visit to China, Japan's closeness to China has greatly increased, and public opinion has demanded that the Sato cabinet resume contacts with China. The Sato cabinet expressed to the Chinese government that it wanted to visit China, but Sato Eisaku himself had lost the trust of the Chinese side, and the prime minister made it clear that "we will not talk to Sato."
At this time, the domestic support of the Sato cabinet was already in jeopardy, and it was unable to return to heaven. The Sato cabinet officially resigned in July 1972, and the Sato era ended.
<H1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Tanaka's new prime minister Broke the ice in Sino-Japanese relations</h1>
The incoming Japanese prime minister is Kakuei Tanaka. Drawing on the experience of his predecessors, he realized that Sino-Japanese relations had a major impact on his political career. Tanaka normalized Sino-Japanese relations as one of his important diplomatic goals and appointed Masayoshi Ohira as Japan's foreign minister in charge of foreign affairs.
After the Chinese government expressed its willingness to welcome Prime Minister Tanaka's visit to China at the right time, Kakuei Tanaka attached great importance to this opportunity to improve relations between the two countries. He has sent special envoys to China on several occasions for consultations. The prime minister also made an exception and met with Japanese diplomats on several occasions to inform them of China's bottom line and the draft Sino-Japanese joint statement.
It is reasonable to say that the senior leaders of both China and Japan have expressed a strong willingness, and Tanaka's visit to China should have been smooth sailing, but this was not the case.
At that time, the right-wing forces in Japan repeatedly threatened the Tanaka cabinet, and they were extremely hostile to China and did not want the two countries to restore diplomatic relations. Tanaka was in a dilemma by taking into account both the wishes of the pro-Centrist faction and the right-wing forces.
But what he knows more clearly is that if sino-Japanese diplomatic relations are not restored, his position as prime minister will probably not be stable. Under pressure, Tanaka decided to visit China in September of that year, accompanied by Daihei.
Kakuei Tanaka's visit to China is scheduled for September 25, just two months after he took office. Such eagerness to put the visit to China on the agenda shows how much Tanaka attaches to this matter. It was false to say that he was not worried, but the sincere attitude of the Chinese side reassured him a little.
Kakuei Tanaka had a daughter named Makiko, whom he had long been the subject of his training as his successor. Wherever he visits, he is willing to take Makiko with him, hoping that his daughter will have a long time to see. However, during this visit to China, Makiko offered to follow, but Tanaka refused.
He thought about it and told his daughter:
"This visit to China is full of dangers, and I don't know if I can come back smoothly." The negotiations may fail, and I probably won't be able to go back to Japan. I can't let you take risks with me. "
Not only was Tian Zhongzhong troubled, but Daping was also worried. Before he got on the plane, he told his assistant:
"I may not be able to come back, and I still have to take care of things here."
In this way, Tanaka and his party, with anticipation and nervousness, flew to China by plane.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > prime minister personally visit china and the request was rejected? </h1>
At 11:30 a.m. on the 25th, Prime Minister Tanaka's special plane arrived at the Beijing airport smoothly, and the prime minister was already waiting here. The hatch opened and Tanaka stepped off the plane and walked toward the prime minister. He shook the Prime Minister's hand and immediately said:
"My name is Kakuei Tanaka, and I am the Prime Minister of Japan. I'm 54 years old, so please take care of me. "
The Prime Minister also shook his hand back and introduced himself to:
"My name is Zhou Enlai, and I welcome you."
Subsequently, the Tanaka diplomatic delegation, accompanied by the prime minister, drove to the Diaoyutai State Guest House.
The prime minister did not comment on Tanaka's age. In fact, the Chinese side has long grasped the information of Prime Minister Tanaka and his diplomatic corps. The prime minister knows that Tanaka Kakuei is a civilian, can be said to be a self-made man, he is only a secondary school education, but at the age of 54 he became the prime minister of Japan, so he still has some political talent.
The prime minister expressed his welcome, but did not take the age of the stubble and did not want to deliberately tout it. But after arriving at Building 18, Tanaka again mentioned that he was only 54 years old.
The Prime Minister responded with a smile:
"I became the prime minister of China at the age of 51, the equivalent of the prime minister of Japan, and have been prime minister for 23 years."
The prime minister's bland description left Tanaka speechless, and in the next visit, he never mentioned himself as 54 years old again.
After entering Building 18, the prime minister introduced Tanaka to this as the place where US President Richard Nixon stayed during his visit to China, implying that the Chinese side also attached great importance to Japan's visit to China. Tanaka immediately said:
"But the history of China's interaction with Japan is longer than the history of China's and the United States' exchanges."
The prime minister also smiled slightly, and his chin agreed.
The Prime Minister entered the house and prepared to take off his trench coat, but the Prime Minister's right arm had been injured during the war and he always needed help when taking off his coat. When Prime Minister Tanaka saw this, he immediately took four or five steps forward, walked over to the prime minister's side, and made a request:
"I'll help you take off your coat."
The Prime Minister quickly refused: "No! After all, he is the prime minister of Japan, and he is a guest from afar, how can he help take off his coat. "
Tanaka saw that the prime minister refused, but still insisted on helping, he explained:
"Although I am a guest, you arranged for me to stay in Building 18, and I was the owner of this room during the few days of my visit." You accompanied me here, you are a guest, what is wrong with me taking off your coat? "
He spoke earnestly and sincerely, and the prime minister did not refuse anymore, and took off his trench coat with the help of Tanaka.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > win favor in one fell swoop and achieve fruitful results</h1>
Tanaka Kakuei's earnest attitude won the favor of the Chinese side and set a friendly tone for the interview. Although it is a show of hands to help the prime minister take off his coat, Tanaka, as the Prime Minister of Japan, has not put up an official posture at all, and it can be seen that his current visit to China really hopes to ease Sino-Japanese relations and restore normal diplomatic relations between China and Japan.
In fact, before Prime Minister Tanaka's visit to China, China and Japan had reached a basic consensus on the draft joint statement, and the purpose of the visit to China was to discuss key issues. These problems are very acute, because the Chinese people have suffered countless damage in Japan's war of aggression against China, so the Chinese side will never give in.
Therefore, Prime Minister Tanaka's attitude is very important, and if he still feels that Japan is on top, I am afraid that it will be difficult to make any progress in this visit to China.
The détente of Sino-Japanese relations is already the trend of the times, after all, we and Japan are neighbors who live side by water and across the sea, and it is not a good thing for both sides to maintain a state of hostility all the time. Despite Prime Minister Tanaka's earnest attitude, there were small episodes in the course of the visit, which almost caused a diplomatic storm.
During the talks on the first day of the visit, Tanaka used the expression "adding trouble" when apologizing to Chinese people, which immediately aroused the disgust of the scene. A naked war of aggression has caused great harm to the people of Chinese, so how can we say "adding trouble" lightly?
The prime minister was also dissatisfied with this, pointing out that the Japanese side's expression was too perfunctory and lacked sincerity, and it was difficult to continue consultations with such an attitude. Only then did the Japanese side realize that there was something wrong with its expression and quickly explained:
"In Japan, adding trouble means apologizing, and we don't mean to run away from problems."
But one explanation was not enough, and Tanaka finally defined his speech as a "serious loss" before the matter was over.
Toward the end of the visit, the great man received Prime Minister Tanaka. He deliberately mentioned the matter of "adding trouble" and told Tanaka:
"In China, adding trouble is only said when splashing water on girls."
The great man seems to be joking, but it conveys China's bottom line, that is, it is absolutely impossible to skim the damage of Japan's war of aggression against China.
Despite the slight turmoil, the visit of Prime Minister Tanaka and his diplomatic corps has achieved satisfactory results. On September 29, the Chinese and Japanese governments issued a joint statement formally announcing the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and Sino-Japanese relations have entered normalization.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan became one of the major diplomatic achievements of Kakuei Tanaka during his tenure, and Japan's support for the Tanaka government also skyrocketed. Great power diplomacy itself requires wisdom and courage, and under such a sensitive relationship between China and Japan, it requires a sincere attitude.
Instead of posing a condescending attitude, Tanaka kakuei took the initiative to help the prime minister and help him take off his coat, thus showing his closeness. Although Tanaka raised his hand, he fully demonstrated his sincerity in this trip, thus paving the way for the entire visit to lay a friendly atmosphere and eventually became a beautiful legend.