Marking the 55th anniversary of the historic sports exchange that thawed diplomatic ties, organizers in Aichi Prefecture gathered to reexamine the roots of 1971's ping-pong diplomacy, according to reporting by jpchinapress.com.
Delegation Negotiated Historic Nagoya Tournament Entry in Beijing
In late January and early February 1971, a four-member Japanese delegation traveled to China to invite the Chinese national team to the 31st World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. At a time when formal diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Beijing had not yet been established, the mission required delicate high-level talks. The Japanese delegation included Japan Table Tennis Association President Koji Goto, executive director Takeshi Mori, Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association deputy secretary-general Kuhei Muraoka, and Oda, who served as Goto’s secretary.
The delegation met with Chinese sports officials, including Song Zhong, then deputy director of the International Department of the State Physical Culture and Sports Commission and acting president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. Those discussions produced an agreement for a Chinese delegation led by Song to travel to Japan for the Nagoya tournament.
Premier Zhou Enlai Hosted Japanese Visitors in Beijing
Following the successful conclusion of the talks, Premier Zhou Enlai received the Goto delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Oda recalled during the lecture that Zhou singled out the youngest member of the group, asking if he was married. When Oda nervously replied that he was still single, the premier grasped his hand and urged him to visit China for his honeymoon. Due to the absence of normalized diplomatic ties at the time, Oda was ultimately unable to fulfill the promise.
Goto passed away in 1972 at age 65, prompting Premier Zhou and his wife, Deng Yingchao, to invite Goto’s widow to China.
Exhibits and Baseball Connections Highlight Nagoya Event
Following the lecture, attendees viewed historic items in the school’s exhibition room, including a table tennis racket bearing the signatures of Chinese player Zhuang Zedong and Japanese competitors from the era. The facility also preserves archives tied to Meiden High School’s baseball alumni, such as Ichiro Suzuki, Kimiyasu Kudoh, and Takeshi Yamasaki. Kudoh was recently named manager of the Chunichi Dragons.
The anniversary events included a luncheon, marking 55 years since the sports diplomacy effort.
