Chinese-Japanese relations could do with some work

China and Japan have been on even worse terms than usual for the past month. Recent developments in Japan and the United Nations set off an outcry of anti-Japanese sentiment from Beijing. In the past two weeks, thousands have taken to the streets of the Chinese capital to fight over past wrongs, present ambitions and the future balance of global power.\nThe conflict dates back to July 7, 1937, the day Japan invaded the Chinese mainland. China claims Japan never adequately apologized for atrocities committed in World War II. For this reason, Beijing became outraged at the start of April when the Japanese education ministry approved a new history textbook. This book, Beijing claims, glosses over Japan's horrendous treatment of the Chinese during the war years, according to The Economist, April 16.\nThis egregious error sent thousands of furious Chinese into the streets. Protesters threw eggs and stones at the Japanese embassy and looted Japanese-owned shops. The Chinese government, usually quick to quell public protest, has let the demonstrations continue with relatively little interference.\nOf course, this is all a bit silly. History is always written with a bias and "facts" vary dramatically depending on who one asks. Japan's interpretation of history is most likely as accurate as the version condoned by the People's Republic of China. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between. History is not worth fighting over, and the Chinese will have to accept that not everyone sees events in the same light.\nIf historical renderings were the only reason for April's bickering, then Japan and China would not get a news analysis all to themselves. However, there is also the little matter of global power. At the end of World War II, China received a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council and Japan lost its military. This arrangement, which has lasted for 60 years, might change in the near future.\nU.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will propose enlarging the Security Council in September, and Japan is already champing at the diplomatic bit for a permanent position. China is loath to see Japan encroaching on its current power.\nThis attitude is ridiculous. Countries with the most political and economic clout in the real world should wield the most power in the United Nations. Japan's economy continues to grow at astounding rates, it donates more aid money than most other countries, and it plays an increasingly active role in peacekeeping missions despite its lack of a military. Japan deserves a seat with these credentials alone. However, there are two additional reasons to give the nation a permanent seat: honor and balance.\nSimply put, China does not trust Japan. Beijing never again wants Japan to accumulate the power it held in the 1930s. It follows that China wants to keep its island neighbor out of the security loop. While the Chinese prejudice is understandable, the world cannot indefinitely exclude Japan from global affairs because of past transgressions.\nWhether China likes it or not, Japan has once again risen to prominence in the world. It would be an insult to the new generations of Japanese workers if the United Nations did not recognize the power they have earned. We should never forget the mistakes of the past, but we should not continue to punish the new Japan for its predecessors.\nFinally, it behooves the United Nations to plan for the future by adding the competitive Asian nation to the Security Council. China and Japan will soon become the most economically powerful countries in the world. The best way to curtail that power is to have them watch over each other. Within the next 50 years, we will be glad we did.