英语新闻｜日本团体敦促政府归还中国文物：这是必须要做的

Japanese activists are calling for the return of Chinese cultural relics looted by Japan during the country's wars in China, as a civil group advocating the restoration underlines that returning these relics is the responsible thing to do.

日本相关人士要求日本政府主动归还在侵华战争期间掠夺的中国文物，倡导归还文物的日本民间团体强调，归还这些文物才是负责任的做法。

Kazuo Morimoto, representative of the association for promoting the return of Chinese cultural properties, said that recent years have witnessed France and other European countries returning looted cultural relics to their former colonial countries in Africa and Asia.

“中国文物返还运动推进会”的代表森本和男表示，近年来，法国和其他欧洲国家正向非洲、亚洲前殖民地国家归还掠夺文物。

"There has been a wave of returning looted cultural relics around the world, but this momentum is still weak in Japan," Morimoto told the Global Times on Sunday, stressing that Japan has barely mentioned its wartime looting and destruction of cultural relics.

4月23日，森本和男向《环球时报》表示：“世界上出现归还掠夺文物的风潮，但这股势头在日本仍然很弱。”森本还强调，日本几乎没有提及其战时掠夺、破坏文物的行为。

"The Japanese government concealed this disgraceful history from the people after World War II so many people in Japanese society do not know about it. As a Japanese, I'm ashamed of that."

“在二战后，日本政府向日本人民隐瞒了这段不光彩的历史，以至于日本社会很多人对此一无所知。作为一个日本人，我对此感到很羞愧。”

The association held a rally on Saturday in Tokyo, urging the Japanese government to return Chinese cultural relics plundered during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) and the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

4月22日，“中国文物返还运动推进会”在东京组织集会，要求日本政府主动归还甲午战争、日俄战争、日本全面侵华战争期间掠夺至日本的中国文物。

The civil group was founded to encourage Japan to return Chinese cultural relics, achieve "historical reconciliation" between the two countries, and further promote the development of bilateral relations.

“中国文物返还运动推进会”的成立是为了促进日本归还中国文物，实现中日“历史和解”，并进一步促进中日双边关系的发展。

The civil group initially called for the return of three Chinese stone lions that were looted from the Sanxue Temple in Haicheng, Northeast China's Liaoning province. Two of these lions are now located outside the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and the other is in the Yamagata Aritomo Memorial Museum in the Tochigi prefecture.

“中国文物返还运动推进会”最初要求归还从中国辽宁省海城市三学寺掠夺的三尊中国石狮子。其中两尊石狮子现在位于东京的靖国神社外，另一尊位于栃木县的山县有朋纪念馆。

Atsushi Koketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University of Japan and also co-representative of the association, told the Global Times that it had held talks with the Yasukuni Shrine, which stated: "It is necessary to re-investigate what happened at that time."

“中国文物返还运动推进会”联合代表、日本山口大学名誉教授纐缬厚在集会上表示，推进会已与靖国神社举行会谈，对方表示：“有必要重新调查当时发生的事。”

The civil groups also sent two petitions to the museum, but they were unanswered, Koketsu told the Global Times.

纐缬厚向《环球时报》表示，“中国文物返还运动推进会”曾两次向山县有朋纪念馆送去有关返还文物的请愿书，但均未收到回复。

The organization has also called for the return of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) Honglujing Stele, which was looted from Lüshun in Liaoning and is now located in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

“中国文物返还运动推进会”还呼吁归还从辽宁旅顺掠夺的唐鸿胪井刻石，该碑现在位于东京的日本皇宫。

However, the Imperial Household Agency of Japan which oversees matters concerning the Japanese imperial family was not forthcoming when reached by the association concerning the return of the stele.

然而，当“中国文物返还运动推进会”就归还鸿胪井刻石一事与负责管理日本皇室事务的日本宫内厅交涉时，对方并没有主动提供帮助。

There is good news as well. Koketsu said that some members of the Japanese Parliament have expressed their support and are willing to help mediate the issue.

还有一个好消息。纐缬厚表示，日本国会部分议员已表示支持，愿意帮忙沟通斡旋。

"We will continue to hold rallies and seminars this year to raise awareness among more Japanese people and urge the Japanese government to return Chinese cultural relics looted by Japan as soon as possible," he said. "We have this determination."

纐缬厚说：“我们今年将继续举行集会和研讨会，唤起更多日本人的关注，敦促日本政府尽早归还被日本掠夺的中国文物。我们有这样的决心。”

Morimoto told the Global Times that these issues should have been resolved in the last century and not have been left to the next generation, adding that Japanese society needs to face history.

森本和男向《环球时报》表示，这些问题原本应该在上个世纪被解决，但却被拖到了现在，绝不能再留给下一代，他还补充道，日本社会需要正视历史。

He also said that calling for the Japanese government to return looted Chinese cultural relics is not just a responsibility but something that must be done.

森本和男还表示，敦促政府早日归还中国文物是日本人的责任，这是必须要做的事情。

Relic

英/ˈrelɪk/ 美/ˈrelɪk/

n.遗物，遗迹

Loot

英/luːt/ 美/luːt/

v.（尤指在战争或暴乱中）抢劫，掠夺