日本政坛元老就钓鱼岛问题向中国道歉

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.

前日本内阁官房长官野中广务最近在接受接受中国媒体采访时说他觉得对不起中国人民，并指责日本某些政客在钓鱼岛问题上做出的错误决定。

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岁的野中广务也是前众议院议员和自由民主党前副秘书长，原计划九月下旬访问中国以纪念中日邦交正常化40周年。但由于两国在中国东海的钓鱼岛等岛屿的主权问题上不断激化的紧张局势，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.

野中广务长期以来一直致力于建立中日友好关系，他说近期的争端令人遗憾。

"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.

“作为日本人，我感到羞耻。我觉得非常对不起中国人民，我想向他们表示诚挚的歉意，”他在采访中说道。

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.

这位政治元老说，日本部分“购买”钓鱼岛的行为破坏了两国已经持续了几十年的互信和共识。

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.

他还指责了日本政府在处理最近外交危机中的不当行为，这点燃了中国人民的愤怒，这周他们在中国的许多城市举行了大规模的抗议。

"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."

“目前日本政党似乎不致力于日本和日本人民的利益。他们没有考虑国家未来的发展，没有意识到与周边国家保持友好关系的重要性。所有这些对于日本年轻的政治家来说都是重要的使命。不幸的是，他们只关心选举和投票，这是非常悲哀的，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.

与他那一代相比，野中说，现在的政客总是把个人仕途放在第一位，而不是对全国人民的责任和义务。

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.

野中强调，中日关系至关重要。至于钓鱼岛争端，他建议双方加强对话，争取以适当的方式解决问题。