JAPAN-CHINA JOINT HISTORY PROJECT: AN EFFORT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000537

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV CH KN KS JA
SUBJECT: JAPAN-CHINA JOINT HISTORY PROJECT: AN EFFORT TO
MOVE BEYOND HISTORICAL ISSUES

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Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons 1.4 (b),(d).



1. (C) Summary. Historians from Japan and China will meet a
second time in March to address differences in how they view
their shared history. Neither side expects to resolve
contentious issues, but hope to narrow gaps in understanding,
according to Professor Shinichi Kitaoka, who chairs the
Japanese team. He also recognizes that when the project
concludes in June 2008, the two sides may simply "agree to
disagree," but hopes the endeavor will help smooth the way to
move beyond historical issues and strengthen ties. End
summary.


2. (C) The new Sino-Japan joint history study project is an
important step in moving beyond historical issues to improve
bilateral ties, University of Tokyo Professor Shinichi
Kitaoka told Tokyo Embassy officers on January 26. Kitaoka,
who was also involved in the recently completed ROK-Japan
history study project, will head the Japanese team in the new
China-Japan project. Kitaoka explained that former Foreign
Minister Machimura initially proposed the joint study
following the April 2005 anti-Japan demonstrations in China,
but Beijing did not accept the proposal until PM Shinzo Abe's
conciliatory visit to China in October 2006. Japan hopes the
project will help bridge differing interpretations of history
so Japan and China can move forward on strengthening
bilateral cooperation, Kitaoka emphasized.


3. (C) China has the lead on choosing the format for the
project, Kitaoka said. Japan is taking a flexible position
"since it was the aggressor," Kitaoka explained, adding there
is no denying the fact that Japan killed many Chinese people
after it invaded China. While Japan will be flexible on the
format, it cannot compromise on historical facts, he added.
For example, there is still a heated dispute over the total
number of Chinese who died during the Nanjing massacre, and a
final number will be difficult to establish, Kitaoka Said.
Japan is open to conducting a trilateral history study,
because the impartial views of a third country can be
beneficial, but if China objects, Japan will not push this
issue.


4. (C) Kitaoka acknowledged that he did not know what
criteria the Chinese used to select their participants, but
pointed out that Chinese academics do not enjoy freedom of
speech. History has been used in China for millennia to
legitimize new dynasties. The Chinese Communist Party has
thought it significant that in a recent speech, President Hu
Jintao for the first time recognized the positive role the
Guomindang had played during World War II. This was a
significant new historical position, he observed.


5. (C) The Chinese scholars chosen to participate in this
project are in a difficult position, Kitaoka continued. Even
though scholars will conduct the research, the project will
still be sponsored by the government. The Chinese government
may pressure Chinese participants to change their views to
suit Chinese political goals, Kitaoka posited. Most of the
scholars selected on the Chinese side are from Beijing. Most
are also in their 50s which means they experienced the
Cultural Revolution during their student years and had to
work their way up the academic ladder in a difficult period.
They tend to be more pro-Japan than younger academics,
Kitaoka observed. Many have favorable impressions of Japan
and want to improve bilateral relations. To the extent the
leadership is willing to improve relations, things will go
smoothly. If the Chinese leadership changed its position on
Japan, however, these academics may have to change their
stance on history, Kitaoka opined.


6. (C) Some Chinese scholars have criticized China's
selection process, suggesting that academics primarily from
Beijing institutions were chosen because they could be
controlled more easily, Kitaoka remarked. In contrast,
Japanese scholars were chosen from all over Japan, Kitaoka
noted.


7. (C) The bilateral joint history research project panel
held its first joint meeting in Beijing in December 2006.
Each country selected a panel chairperson and ten additional
scholars who will work together to research three historical
periods: ancient/pre-modern (up to 1931),modern/war period
(1931-1945),and contemporary (post-war). While the second
period is most problematic, Japan succeeded in including the

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contemporary period as well, during which Japan has played a
constructive role in the region, Kitaoka explained. Most
scholars specialize in and wanted to work on "modern history"
rather than "pre-modern history." Some of the Chinese
scholars focusing on the "pre-modern time frame are not
experts in that field, which could be a potential weak point,
he noted.


8. (C) The joint panel will meet next in mid-March in Tokyo,
when it will select the specific topics to be dealt with by
subgroups. It will meet again in December 2007 and a final
time in June 2008, when it will present its conclusions,
Kitaoka stated. The final session is timed just before the
30th anniversary of the normalization of relations and the
Beijing Olympics in August 2008. The various subgroups will
meet intersessionally, he noted. No one expects the two
sides will come to a complete agreement on historical issues.
Rather, the project aims to foster mutual understanding even
if both sides ultimately "agree to disagree" on their
interpretation of history.
SCHIEFFER