Germany is a mirror for Japan

Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba is to visit the United Kingdom, Germany and France in an attempt to unite the three countries on Japan's side in the Diaoyu Islands dispute with China.

Any reasonable mind will have reached a clear conclusion after hearing and seeing the evidence and arguments presented by China and Japan in the dispute.

Japan's unilateral "purchasing" and "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands, which belong to China, brazenly infringes the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation and openly challenges the global victory in the war against fascism, as well as established international order.

As long as Japan tries its best to cover up the truth and confuse the public, China has the responsibility to reveal the truth to the international community. The more efforts Japan makes to whitewash its illegal claim to the islands, the more lies it has to tell to hide its earlier ones. Japan will gain nothing from its international publicity campaign. In fact, its publicity is in line with China's national interests, because China wants the world to view the islands dispute carefully and seriously.

In his visit to Germany, Genba should learn more from that country's attitude to the past and reflect on Japan's deeds and words. Most of Japan's troubles today, and its negative international image in East Asia, are self-made.

Japan should treat Germany as a mirror for itself to reflect on the causes of its discomfort when dealing with its neighbors. Japan will not have a way out until it starts this self-examination.

Translated from People's Daily By Li Yang.