On November 11, 2009, Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao met in Zhongnanhai Ziguangge with the delegation of Japanese orphans visiting China to thank the parenting grace of the Chinese people. The delegation was headed by Sumie Ikeda who was orphaned during Japan's invasion war against China. Chairman of Japan-China Society Takeshi Noda was the honorary president of the delegation.

Wen first of all expressed welcome to the delegation. He said that China and Japan are close neighbors separated by only a strip of water and the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people can be traced back to 2,000 years ago. The war of aggression against China launched by Japanese militarists not only caused a huge disaster to the Chinese people and but also brought suffering to the Japanese people. A handful of Japanese militarists should be held responsible for the war and the Japanese people were victims as well. After the war, the war-torn Chinese people didn't turn hatred to the Japanese people. On the contrary, they, with a broad mind, overcame numerous difficulties and sheltered and brought up more than 2,800 abandoned Japanese children. Many members of the delegation personally experienced that history and spent their childhood and youth in China. After the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, the Chinese government offered great help for the Japanese orphans to look for their families for the sake of China-Japan friendship and humanitarianism. So far, the majority of orphans have returned to and settled down in Japan. Revisiting China, they have met with their foster parents, friends and relatives in China with mixed feelings. They have felt once again the love of their Chinese foster parents and the sincere feeling of the Chinese people with the Japanese people.

He noted that many orphans keep the kindness of their Chinese adoptive parents in mind after returning to Japan and have been actively engaged in promoting the undertaking of China-Japan friendship. After the outbreak of Wenchuan earthquake last year, the Japanese orphans reached out a helping hand actively although they were not rich. They donated a Japan-China Hope Primary School, which enriched the connotation of friendship between the two countries.

He said that we care for the orphans' life after they returned to Japan and believe they will definitely live a happy and stable life with their own efforts and the support and help of the Japanese government and people.

He pointed out that history tells us peace will bring benefit to China and Japan while confrontation can only do harm to both. China-Japan friendship complies with the fundamental interest of the two peoples and to develop the friendly cooperative relations between China and Japan is of special significance to the two countries, to Asia and to the entire world. Both sides should take the history as a mirror to guide the future, follow the principles and spirit enshrined in the four political documents, coexist peacefully, conduct mutually beneficial cooperation, seek common development, pass on friendship from generation to generation and make due contributions to advancing peace, stability and prosperity of Asia and the world at large.

The delegation members were very active in expressing their views. They said with deep emotion that the grace of their Chinese foster parents is higher than mountain and deeper than sea. Despite living in Japan, they miss profoundly their Chinese families and hometown. Words can't describe how exciting they are to revisit China. They will continue to promote the undertaking of China-Japan friendship in the future and play their part of advancing the friendship between the Japanese and Chinese people from generation to generation.

After the meeting, Wen Jiabao and the delegation took group photos and visited the Xihua Hall of Zhongnanhai where late Premier Zhou Enlai once lived and worked.

Vice Minister of Public Security Liu Jing, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Jing Dunquan and Japanese Ambassador to China Yuji Miyamoto were also present at the above activities.