日中漫画展在南京舉行

Last week the NHK news on-line reported the following:

反日感情で延期の日中漫画展開催 南京
3月24日 20時52分

沖縄県の尖閣諸島の国有化をきっかけに、日中関係が悪化したことで延期されていた日本と中国の漫画家の作品を集めた展示会が、２４日から中国の南京で始まりました。

この展示会は、中国東部の江蘇省と友好提携を結んでいる愛知県などが開きました。江蘇省の中心都市、南京の会場には、日本と中国合わせて５０人余りの漫画家が、地球の未来の姿をテーマに描いた作品が展示されています。
もともとは、日中国交正常化４０周年の記念行事として、去年９月に開かれる予定でしたが、尖閣諸島の国有化をきっかけに、日中関係が悪化したため、開催が延期されていました。
開幕式で愛知県の大村知事は「日中の間には、さまざまな課題があるが、それを乗り越えて、お互いに利益になるような関係をつくりたい」とあいさつしました。そして、大村知事が大きな紙に、「中日友好」と筆で書いたあと、日本人の漫画家が、日本と中国の国旗を持った子どもとパンダが、楽しそうに笑っている様子をその場で描き、中国側に贈りました。
会場には、大勢の家族連れや学生などが訪れ作品を見て感想を話し合ったり、写真を撮ったりしていました。
中国の大学生の女性は「中国と日本が友好関係にあることが、結局は、どちらにとっても利益となるのですから、友好を築くよう、双方が努力すべきだと思います」と話していました。

(試譯文)

An exhibition which collected the works of the cartoonists from Japan and China, that had been postponed because of the worsen Japan-China relations due to the nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, was held on the 24th (March) in Nanjing in China.

This show was held by the Aichi Prefecture which was, on friendship ties, connected to the Jiangsu province in eastern China. With regard to the participating cartoonists from Japan and China, in total a little over 50 of them had gathered at a hall in Nanjing which was the central city of Jiangsu. All the works exhibited had a theme centered on the outlook of our earth in future.

At the beginning it was scheduled to be opened in September last year as a memorial event of the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and China, but because of the Japan-China relations got worsen due to the nationalization of the Senkaku Islands, its opening was postponed.

At the opening ceremony greetings Governor Omura of Aichi Prefecture said that "Although various subjects had occurred between Japan and China, I would like to overcome them and to build a relation that would generate mutual benefits". After that Governor Omura, using a brush, wrote "China-Japan friendship" on a big paper, then a Japanese cartoonist presented to the China side a drawing depicting a child and a panda holding the national flags of Japan and China and laughing happily.

In the hall, many students came to visit and families came as a group. The works were seen, comments were discussed and photographs were taken.

A Chinese college female student was saying that "because to have a good relationship between China and Japan would benefit both parties after all. We should build friendship and I think both sides should try hard".

It seems that the worst moment for Sino-Japanese relationship is over. Probably some behind-the-scene negotiations might have been carried out.