While Sino-Japanese relationship between the two largest economies in Asia has been marred throughout the 20th century due to territorial and political disputes including Taiwanese sovereignty; the invasion of China by Japan in the second world war and Japan’s subsequent refusal to acknowledge the extent of its war crimes; territorial disputes surrounding the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and associated fishing rights and energy resources; and Japanese-American security co-operation; Chinese and Japanese monks and religious officials believe Buddhism exchanges will help boost the friendly relationship between the two countries.
Shanghai Daily.com reported: At the 16th Buddhism Culture Exchange Conference of China, Republic of Korea and Japan, which ended on Thursday, Wang Zuo'an, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said Buddhist cultures of the three countries shared the same origin, and the religious sectors had maintained harmonious and friendly relations.
Yongshou, an eminent monk and deputy head of the Buddhism Association of China, said thousands of monks from the three countries had participated in talks on the relations between Buddhism and peace, environmental protection, and other topics. Dharma assemblies were also held to pray for world peace, which revealed the close relations of the three countries' Buddhism sectors.
Yasuda Eiin, an eminent monk from Japan, said tense situations have occurred among the three countries in recent years, and under such circumstances, Buddhists should work together for world peace and forge the "golden bond" of Buddhism among the three countries.
