He has a high prestige in Japan and is considered one of the "Four Great Sages of the World".
**'s outstanding leadership skills have long been recognized around the world, and even in Japan, which has a long history of strained relations with China, there is a deep respect for *** in general.
It is reported that there are many factions in Japan, many differences, and constant attacks on each other, but as long as it is mentioned, they can immediately reach a consensus and resonance, which is enough to show the high status of the Japanese people.
Among the Japanese who praise and worship ***, perhaps the most eye-catching is none other than Kaheita Okazaki, president of the Japan Aviation Association. He even ranked *** with Jesus, Shakyamuni, and Muhammad, and called him one of the "four great saints of the world".
Born in 1897, one year older than ***, the two leaders jointly witnessed the major historical events in Sino-Japanese relations in the last century.
During the Japanese invasion of China, Okazaki Kahei was also in China, but he had nothing to do with the invasion, he chose to engage in business, and served as a director of Huaxing Commercial Bank (Shanghai), and later served in the Japanese Embassy in Shanghai until 1946, when he returned to China.
During this period, Kaheita Okazaki could often see ***'s name in the newspaper, even though they had not yet had the opportunity to meet.
It was not until 1962 that Kaheita Okazaki visited China as a representative of the Japanese business community, and finally had the honor to meet *** elegant and modest, and at the same time showed a decisive and capable demeanor, which deeply moved Kaheita Okazaki. Although Okazaki is one year older than ***, he respectfully calls *** "big brother" every time and is willing to call himself a little brother.
**I also love this Japanese friend, praising him as a "promoter of Sino-Japanese friendship", and has met with him many times to encourage him to make more contributions to the friendly exchanges between China and Japan.
In Okazaki Kaheita's office, there is a solemn *** hanging on one side, and an embroidered image of *** is always in his pocket. He explains: "It makes me feel like *** is with me all the time." ”
Kaheita Okazaki also deeply admires ***'s simple lifestyle. He thought he was already very frugal, but in front of ***, he felt that he was far behind, and it was hard to believe that this high-ranking national leader was so simple in his daily life, beyond his imagination.
After returning to Japan, Kaheita Okazaki began to follow suit, whether it was dressing, eating, working, or traveling, he tried to save. He never even bought new clothes, and in his later years, even if the clothes no longer fit, he only asked his wife to modify them and continue to wear them.
He believes that this can be closer to the lifestyle of ***.
On January 8, 1976, ** passed away, and the domestic mourning was heavy. And in distant Japan, Kaheita Okazaki is even more painful, feeling that he has lost a dear brother.
Putting down all the work in hand, Kaheita Okazaki immediately embarked on a trip to Beijing to participate in the memorial service of ***, expressing his deep reluctance and high respect for ***.
Many years later, **'s nephew Zhou Erjun visited Japan, and Okazaki Bin, the son of Okazaki Kaheita, specially met with him and told him: "My father's greatest admiration in his life is ***, and he has always treasured *** in his arms." When my father visited China, he specially recalled me from the United States so that I could have the opportunity to meet this great man of the world. My father believed that although there were four great saints in the world, such as Jesus, Shakyamuni, Muhammad, and Confucius, they were all ancient figures. And he has been looking for a contemporary saint all his life, and finally found it in ***, thinking that *** is a contemporary saint. My father humorously said that there can't be two saints in one country, so I had to grieve Confucius. ”
It can be seen from this that Okazaki Kahei regarded *** as a once-in-a-lifetime "saint", alongside Jesus, Shakyamuni, Muhammad, and Confucius, and even put Confucius behind. This evaluation has also resonated with many Japanese people.
On September 22, 1989, Kaheita Okazaki passed away, and when his body was cremated, his wife deliberately put the embroidered image of *** that he carried with him.
Afterwards, Mrs. Okazaki told Zhou Erjun: "When Mr. Okazaki passed away, I did not feel too sad. My son felt strange and asked me why, and I told him that your father was full of admiration for *** all his life, and his ultimate wish was to meet *** in heaven, and now this wish has been fulfilled, which should be a good thing. ”
This is the best place, like a bright moon, not only moisturizing China, but also the world. As Nyerere of Tanzania commented: "He is a great man of the whole world, who has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of human dignity and international revolutionary solidarity." It is with respect and gratitude that our people regard him as a great man, a remarkable friend of humanity and an outstanding leader who inspires people. ”