History cannot be distorted and the historical truths must be conveyed to young Japanese people to avoid repeating the same mistakes, said former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in Beijing on Tuesday.
"Japanese schools rarely teach the history of war. As a result, an increasing number of young people are unaware of these facts. Japan once invaded China and colonized the Korean Peninsula. It is worrisome that more and more young people are unaware of these facts. I believe this is a very serious issue. Our generation should clearly convey the historical truth to young people, clearly and firmly explaining the crimes and mistakes Japan committed in the past, so that they understand these and we can prevent such mistakes from happening again," he said in an exclusive interview with China Radio International (CRI) on the sidelines of the ongoing Beijing Xiangshan Forum which opened on Tuesday.
The three-day Beijing Xiangshan Forum, themed "Build Consensus on Stability, Advance Security Governance Together", features four plenary sessions and eight parallel sessions.
Launched in 2006 as a "track-two" think-tank exchange, the Beijing Xiangshan Forum has expanded over the past two decades to bring together government officials, military leaders and scholars from around the world.
Japanese youths must be told historical truths to avoid making same mistakes: former Japanese PM
Japanese youths must be told historical truths to avoid making same mistakes: former Japanese PM
Border crossings at Heihe Port in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province are continuing to rise a year after China introduced its visa-free policy for Russian citizens.
The number of inbound and outbound passenger trips through the port since the beginning of 2026 has hit a record high of 1 million as of Monday, an increase of 56 percent year on year.
The visa-free policy has encouraged Russian visitors to extend one-day trips to several days to experience more of local life in Chinese border cities.
"This is my fourth trip to Suifenhe since the visa-free policy took effect. Border clearance is much faster now. In the past, I could only come here for some simple shopping. Now I can travel here with my friends," said Ilina, a Russian tourist.
Bilingual service desks, smart translation terminals, self-service clearance facilities and advance online completion of entry cards have been introduced at the port, speeding up border checks.
"We have set up a Chinese-Russian bilingual service team at the inspection site, equipped it with multilingual smart translation devices, and displayed Russian-language instructions for filling out entry forms on screens outside the joint inspection hall. These measures have helped shorten waiting time and improve the border clearance experience," said Miao Lei, Deputy Head of Duty Team One at Heihe Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station.
The surge in cross-border travel has boosted local consumption and tourism, with catering and service industries in border cities witnessing tangible growth.
"All our employees can speak Russian, and our menus are bilingual. Communication is smoother, so our customers have a better experience. Russian customers now stay for four or five days, and we have more repeat customers," said Zhang Wei, Manager of Lena Restaurant in Heihe, Heilongjiang Province.
Cross-border passenger trips through Russia-China port hit 1 mln since beginning of 2026
