A Canadian legal scholar has sharply criticized the recent erroneous remarks made by the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, warning that such rhetoric not only undermines China-Japan relations but also poses risks to the prospects of peace.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG), David Wright, an associate professor at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law, said the remarks, widely viewed as provocative in the international community, could have far-reaching consequences.
"Making that claim will danger and worsen diplomatic relations between China and Japan, without any doubt. But in my view, even more important than damaging the diplomatic relations is damaging the prospects for peace," he said.
Wright noted that the remarks were not accidental or casual, but politically calculated to appeal to domestic right-wing forces.
"Never think that she's only kidding and shooting off her mouth. This is not a woman who shoots off her mouth. She thinks carefully about everything she says, and she has to reassure the Japanese right-wing base that is her basis of support by perhaps being even more assertive and more abrasive about this position than what previous governments have said," said the scholar.
He said attempts by certain Japanese politicians to distort the nation's wartime past reveal a deeper refusal to confront historical responsibilities.
"They don't want to own up to atrocities. They're not facing up to history squarely. They are seeking to whitewash and reinterpret history. It all stems from a lack of sincere regret about the war. There is no remorse among such people," said Wright.
Erroneous remarks of Japanese PM damage prospects for peace: scholar
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has hailed the growing educational and cultural exchanges his country is enjoying with China, highlighting the role of Confucius Institutes and Chinese-funded infrastructure in building a stronger skilled workforce.
Mahama was speaking in an exclusive interview with the China Media Group (CMG) which aired on Friday. The Ghanaian President visited Beijing back in October to attend the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, and also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his trip, with both leaders stressing the long history of friendship between the two nations.
In the CMG interview, Mahama said that the three Confucius Institutes established in the cities of Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast are helping to cement exchanges and open up new opportunities for young people, noting that the enthusiasm for learning Chinese is rapidly spreading across Ghana, reflecting a broader cultural and educational engagement between the two sides.
"[When students return from training programs in China,] they come back with the skills that they acquired in China. And there's a good colony of Chinese speakers. And so it's interesting, when Chinese companies come in and establish industries, sometimes they don't need to bring Chinese people to Ghana, they find a pool of Ghanaians who are qualified and can speak Chinese. So it makes it very easy for them to employ them and be able to carry out their work," Mahama said.
He also drew attention to China's contribution to Ghana's higher education sector, singling out the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in the Volta Region, which is helping nurture a new generation of medical professionals.
"The campus of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, that's training a lot of doctors, paramedics and other specialists. [It] was funded by China and that is one of our public universities that has a good reputation and is performing very well. And that was based on friendship," Mahama said.
Ghanaian president hails deepening cultural, educational exchanges with China
