In cold weather, 45 Japanese war orphans revisiting China to thank their Chinese foster families received a warm welcome in Beijing.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met them, mostly in their seventies, in the Zhongnanhai compound Wednesday.

Premier Wen invited the orphans to Zhongnanhai for talks and also accompanied them on a visit to the former residence and office of the late Premier Zhou Enlai inside the compound, who were much concerned about the war orphanage issue.

The Japanese orphans were those who had been left behind by their parents after the eight-year Japanese Aggression War against China. More than 2,800 Japanese orphans were adopted by the Chinese people and most of them went back to Japan in the 1980s and 1990s after normalization of bilateral ties.

The thanksgiving gathering is organized to express the war orphans' gratitude to their foster families, but the visit is, to some extent, an emotional one as many of their foster parents have died.

"We care about the living conditions of the orphans after they returned back to Japan, and I believe that everybody will live a happy and stable life though their own efforts and by support from the Japanese government and all walks of life," said Wen in talks with the delegation.

Wen said that it was a handful of militarists who were responsible for that war of aggression, and the Japanese people were also victims of the war.

"The Chinese people, despite their own sufferings caused by the war, saved the lives of the orphans and brought them up instead of pouring their hatred on the Japanese people," said Wen.

Wen said the war orphans will feel again the love given by their foster parents and the deep friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people during their visit in China.

The war orphans have been active in promoting Japan-China friendship since they returned back to Japan. They raised funds to build a primary school named China-Japan Friendship Hope School in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake last year, said Wen.

Call for friendship

History tells us that "peace between China and Japan leads to mutual benefits, and rivalry is damaging to both", said Wen.

China-Japan friendship confirms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and to develop friendly cooperation is of great significance to Asia, the world as well as the two countries, Wen said.

Wen said the two nations should take history as a mirror and look forward to the future in their relations. They should, in the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, coexist peacefully, engage in mutually beneficial cooperation, seek common development and lasting friendship, making due contributions to Asian and World peace, stability and prosperity.

Members of the delegation said although they now live in Japan, they still miss their family members and hometowns in China. They are very excited about this trip and would like to continue to work for lasting friendship between the two peoples.

(Xinhua, November 12, 2009)