Vol.715 1/2008

Japanese PM Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda wrapped up his four-day “Spring Herald” China tour on December 30, 2007, after paying homage to Confucius in the ancient philosopher’s hometown. Before leaving the Temple of Confucius, Fukuda inscribed four Chinese characters, “wen gu chuang xin,” to a visitor book. Fukuda’s writing was inspired by the teachings of Confucius, who called for followers to always strive for new insight into life, learning from philosophy of the past.