Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng, as chairman of Chinese Organizing Committee of Chinese Cultural Year and Japanese Cultural Year, left for Japan for a friendly visit on April 1 at the head of a ten-person delegation and attended on April 3 the opening ceremony of the picture show of 'the course of normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in 30 years co-sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Culture and Japanese's Japan-China Friendship Guild.

Also present at the ceremony were deputy director of State Council Information Office Li Gang, director of General Office of Ministry of Culture Li Jinghe, deputy-chief editor of State Administration of Radio, Film and Television Wang Jianru, and director of International Liaison Bureau of Ministry of Culture Ding Wei. Celebrities from Japanese political, economic, cultural and other circles and representatives from friendly organizations also attended the opening ceremony.

Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng and former Japanese Vice Prime Minister and chairman of Japan-China Friendship Guild Gotouda Masakaru each made a speech. Japanese former Prime Minister Murayama Tomichi, former governor of Tokyo Suzuki Shuniti and former member of Japanese House of Representatives Sonoda Tenkou Kou also spoke at the ceremony.

Sun Jiazheng watched the exhibits with the guests after the ceremony.

(April 4, 2002, from China Cultural Newspaper)