日本政壇元老就釣魚島問題向中國道歉

Former Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said he felt sorry for the Chinese people in a recent interview with Chinese media in Japan, criticizing certain politicians in his country for wrong decisions made over the Diaoyu Islands issue.

前日本內閣官房長官野中廣務最近在接受接受中國媒體採訪時說他覺得對不起中國人民，並指責日本某些政客在釣魚島問題上做出的錯誤決定。

Nonaka, 87, also former member of House of Representatives and ex-Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party, had planned to visit China late September to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Japan. But the trip was forced to put off due to the soaring tensions between the two neighbors over a chain of islands claimed by both in the East China Sea.

87歲的野中廣務也是前衆議院議員和自由民主黨前副祕書長，原計劃九月下旬訪問中國以紀念中日邦交正常化40週年。但由於兩國在中國東海的釣魚島等島嶼的主權問題上不斷激化的緊張局勢，行程被迫延期。

Nonaka, who has long been dedicated to building Sino-Japan friendship and relationship, said the recent row is a pity.

野中廣務長期以來一直致力於建立中日友好關係，他說近期的爭端令人遺憾。

"As Japanese, I feel disgraced. I feel terribly bad for the Chinese people and I want to express my sincere apologies to them, "he said in the interview.

“作爲日本人，我感到羞恥。我覺得非常對不起中國人民，我想向他們表示誠摯的歉意，”他在採訪中說道。

The senior politician said Japan's "purchase" of parts of the Islands has undermined the two countries' mutual trust and consensus which has lasted for several decades.

這位政治元老說，日本部分“購買”釣魚島的行爲破壞了兩國已經持續了幾十年的互信和共識。

He also rapped the Japanese government's improper ways in tackling the recent diplomatic crisis, which ignited the anger of the Chinese public who have staged widespread protests in many Chinese cities this week.

他還指責了日本政府在處理最近外交危機中的不當行爲，這點燃了中國人民的憤怒，這周他們在中國的許多城市舉行了大規模的抗議。

"The current political parties in Japan do not seem to be working in the interests of Japan and the Japanese people. They do not have the country's future direction in mind, and haven't realized the importance of maintaining friendly relations with neighboring countries. All of these are important missions for Japan's young politicians. Unfortunately, they only care about the election and votes. It's very sad, and I feel very disappointed."

“目前日本政黨似乎不致力於日本和日本人民的利益。他們沒有考慮國家未來的發展，沒有意識到與周邊國家保持友好關係的重要性。所有這些對於日本年輕的政治家來說都是重要的使命。不幸的是，他們只關心選舉和投票，這是非常悲哀的，我感到非常失望。”

Compared with his generation, Nonaka said the politicians nowadays always put personal careers first, instead of responsibilities and obligations to the whole nation.

與他那一代相比，野中說，現在的政客總是把個人仕途放在第一位，而不是對全國人民的責任和義務。

Nonaka stressed Sino-Japan relations are of crucial importance. As for the Diaoyu dispute, he suggested the two sides strengthen dialogue and strive for a proper way to solve the problem.

野中強調，中日關係至關重要。至於釣魚島爭端，他建議雙方加強對話，爭取以適當的方式解決問題。