(September 27, 1972)




Chairman Mao: Now that you’ve come to Beijing, the whole world is trembling—mainly the Soviet Union and the United States, these two great powers. They’re not very reassured; they know full well what you’re up to over there.

Tanaka: The United States has stated its support for our visit to China.

Chairman Mao: The Americans are somewhat better disposed, yet they still feel a bit uneasy. After all, they themselves came here in February of this year without establishing diplomatic relations, and now you’ve beaten them to it. Naturally, that leaves them feeling rather uncomfortable.

Tanaka: On the surface, the Americans remain quite friendly toward us.

Chairman Mao: Indeed. Kissinger even informed us that they would not obstruct our efforts.

Chairman Mao: What do you think of the current state of the world?

Tanaka: In my view, since the end of World War II, the practice of certain major powers seeking to advance their interests through sheer force has reached its limit. As a result, we have entered a new era characterized by the pursuit of peace and the resolution of disputes through negotiation. Moreover, the financial resources of the United States have also been stretched to their breaking point. Although the Soviet Union remains the most powerful nation and continues to grow, signs of a movement for liberation are gradually emerging in Europe as well.

Chairman Mao: Quite so.

Tanaka: During this trip, I also held talks with President Nixon in the United States. The American side acknowledged that Japan’s visit to China aligns with the inevitable trend of the times.

Chairman Mao: That’s right—they did come first, after all.

Tanaka: Yes. Despite having arrived earlier, the United States still faces numerous challenges. Therefore, Washington not only does not oppose but actually welcomes the establishment of closer ties between Japan and China. The U.S. supports the improvement of bilateral relations not as a political gesture, but rather because it hopes that enhanced Japan–China friendship will facilitate the normalization of U.S.–China relations. This, in essence, constitutes the fundamental position of the United States.

Chairman Mao: Very good; they have no choice, after all.

Tanaka: The United States, too, is undergoing gradual change.

Chairman Mao: Precisely. Even the Americans themselves have recognized that the world is changing, noting the emergence of five major forces on the global stage.

Premier Zhou: Yesterday I discussed this very issue with him, explaining that we are neither a potential superpower nor do we aspire to become one.

Chairman Mao: In fact, it would be impossible for us to do so. China may be designated as one of the five major forces, but look at our situation…

Chairman Mao: (Turning to Premier Zhou) When is the joint statement scheduled to be released?

Premier Zhou: Probably tomorrow. We will continue refining the draft tonight. We need to prepare versions in both Chinese and Japanese, as well as an English translation.

Chairman Mao: When are you planning to leave Beijing?

Premier Zhou: The day after tomorrow.

Chairman Mao: Oh, the day after tomorrow—that’s remarkably swift of you.

Tanaka: Thank you very much for managing to issue the joint statement so quickly.

Chairman Mao: Agreements can sometimes take decades or even centuries to reach, yet here we’ve resolved everything within just a few days.

Tanaka: Exactly. Once the right conditions are in place, solutions can be found without delay.

Chairman Mao: Indeed.

Tanaka: As long as both sides refrain from diplomatic gamesmanship and engage in negotiations with sincere intent, a satisfactory outcome is certain.

Chairman Mao: Both sides now share this mutual need, as President Nixon himself pointed out during our conversation. He asked whether such a shared interest truly existed, and I affirmed that it did. I told him that, in public opinion, I am branded as an ally of the right wing and thus enjoy a poor reputation. I went on to explain that your country has two major parties: the Democrats are considered more liberal, while the Republicans lean decidedly to the right. I added that I hold little regard for the Democratic Party and find it uninteresting. Then I revealed to him that, during your election campaign, I cast a vote in your favor—though he was likely unaware of this fact.

Similarly, this time around, we too voted for you, Mr. Tanaka. It was precisely as you noted: if your own Liberal Democratic Party had not taken the lead, how could any meaningful progress have been made?

Tanaka: That is correct. I mentioned this point to Premier Zhou as well.

Chairman Mao: Exactly. Hence, some critics accuse us of consistently aligning ourselves with the right. I replied that I have no interest in Japan’s Communist Party. While other opposition parties may be preferable, they cannot deliver concrete results.

Tanaka: Indeed, they cannot resolve the issues at hand.

Chairman Mao: Ultimately, it is the LDP-led government that holds the key to resolving these matters.

Tanaka: During the Tang Dynasty, there was a renowned Japanese monk named Kūkai, also known as Kōbō Daishi. He traveled to China to study Buddhism and later founded the Shingon school upon his return to Japan. I am a follower of this tradition, though I must admit that I do not fully grasp its teachings.

Chairman Mao: You took an interest in it when you were young, is that right?

Tanaka: Not exactly “interest.” It was during my childhood, when my grandmother practiced the faith, that I began to join her in these rituals.

Chairman Mao: I, too, once followed a religious path.

Tanaka: Every evening, my grandmother would recite sutras, and I would recite along with her.

Chairman Mao: That’s how it happens.

Tanaka: To be honest, I never really understood those doctrines.

Chairman Mao: One absorbs such traditional culture. Until I was twelve, I used to accompany my mother to a temple on Mount Nanyue to offer incense—taking a step forward and bowing each time. Later, I came to embrace Confucianism and feudal ideals. I read all of the Four Books and Five Classics except for the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Changes.

Tanaka: In Japan, too, students are taught the Four Books and Five Classics.

Chairman Mao: I did study them, but they proved utterly useless—except for one occasion when I employed them in a dispute with my father. He constantly accused me of filial impiety and shouted at me. So I countered by citing the classics: “A benevolent father begets a filial son,” I declared, holding up the book. “If you were truly benevolent, then I would naturally be filial! But all you ever do is scold and beat me!” (Laughter)

Tanaka: So you turned the Four Books and Five Classics against your teacher.

Chairman Mao: Precisely. Since my father was illiterate and unable to read, I exploited that to my advantage. How could there not have been conflict? Our family was, above all, a battleground. There were five of us: my mother, my brother Mao Zemin, and I formed a united front against my father, while we largely ignored my youngest brother, Mao Zetan, who sided with our father.

Premier Zhou: Two factions, then.

Tanaka: The same dynamic prevailed in my own household. We often clashed with our teachers. Whenever they tried to reprimand me using the teachings of the Four Books and Five Classics, I would simply reply that I had never studied them and therefore could not comprehend their arguments.

Chairman Mao: I, too, once parried my teacher’s criticisms by quoting three maxims attributed to Wang Anshi of the Song dynasty: “Heaven’s changes need not be feared; ancestral precedents need not be followed; popular gossip need not be heeded.” At the time, many people criticized him for these views.

Premier Zhou: That was Wang Anshi.

Chairman Mao: By invoking those principles, I essentially challenged my teacher to accept my dissent. Naturally, he became quite agitated, accusing me of plotting rebellion. I calmly retorted that his very words provided the justification for my actions—and indeed, I intended to rebel! Eventually, however, he relented and reconciled with me.



Thanks to Ayana Sakura for collecting, transcribing, and proofreading.