日本人氣組合SMAP為溫家寶獻歌

 It was an unlikely and slightly surreal match during an otherwise somber trilateral summit in Japan: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met aging Japanese boy-band SMAP and asked them to sing him a tune during a visit to Japan, adding resonance to his calls for harmony between the two countries.

The meeting, which highlighted Mr. Wen's efforts to maintain an avuncular public image, could also prelude better fortunes in China for SMAP, whose plans for a debut concert in the country last year were blocked twice.

Mr. Wen, accompanied by China's commerce minister and the head of its economic planning agency, told the band on Saturday they are welcome to come to China and inadvertently leaked news that they have new plans for a concert there.

'I hope you bring with you seeds of China-Japan friendship that take deep root and blossom in China,' Mr. Wen, who is 68 years old, told the four of the band's five members who were present. 'I am old and I haven't heard your songs. I hope you could sing for me.'

SMAP responded by launching into a rendition of their popular song 'The Only Flower In The World' and posing for a photo with Mr. Wen.

Mr. Wen, in Japan for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, repeatedly called during his trip for more friendly relations and cooperation between the countries. On Sunday, the three leaders pledged further cooperation in nuclear safety and disaster preparedness, a move prompted by the nuclear crisis in Japan has faced since a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the country in March.

SMAP has been an unwitting victim of China-Japan diplomatic spats before. Relations between the two countries soured last year after the collision of a Chinese fishing boat with two Japanese coast-guard vessels in disputed waters. Among China's responses to the incident was a suspension in September of ticket sales for SMAP's debut performance in Shanghai. The concert didn't go through.

Earlier, SMAP was scheduled to perform at the Shanghai World Expo in June, but organizers canceled the event citing security concerns.

SMAP's members are the titans of Japan's entertainment industry. They have performed for about two decades, releasing their first group album in 1991, and they appear regularly in TV dramas and on Japan's colorful variety programs.

在前往日本參加中日韓三方峰會期間，中國國務院總理溫家寶會見了日本老牌男子組合SMAP，并在訪問期間要求他們獻唱一曲，這讓他提出的兩國和諧相處的呼吁激起更強烈的反響。這個看起來不大可能發(fā)生、有點超現(xiàn)實的會見打破了峰會原本嚴肅沉重的氣氛。

此次會見中，溫家寶努力維持的慈祥親和的公眾形象體現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致。對SMAP來說，此次會見可能也預示著他們會在中國有更好的運氣。去年，該組合準備在中國舉行首場演唱會的計劃兩度受阻。

上周六，在中國商務部部長和國家發(fā)改委主任的陪同下，溫家寶對SMAP組合說歡迎他們?nèi)ブ袊Ｉ现芰?，在中國商務部部長和國家發(fā)改委主任的陪同下，溫家寶對SMAP組合說歡迎他們?nèi)ブ袊?，無意間透露了SMAP將再次準備在中國舉辦演唱會的消息。

該組合共有5名成員，其中4位與溫家寶見了面。現(xiàn)年68歲的溫家寶對他們說，希望你們帶去中日友誼的種子，讓它在中國生根發(fā)芽、開花結(jié)果；我年紀大，沒聽過你們的歌，希望你們能唱給我聽。

于是SMAP演唱了《世界上唯一的花》（The Only Flower In The World）這首人氣歌曲，并與溫家寶合影留念。

溫家寶到訪日本是為了參加與日本首相菅直人（Naoto Kan）和韓國總統(tǒng)李明博（Lee Myung-bak）的峰會。他在日本期間再三呼吁兩國應加強友好關(guān)系和合作。上周日，受日本核危機的推動，三國領(lǐng)導人誓言增進在核安全及防災準備方面的合作。今年3月，日本遭到大地震和海嘯襲擊后面臨嚴重核危機。

過去，SMAP在不知不覺間成為中日外交爭端的受害者。去年，中國一艘漁船與日本海岸警衛(wèi)隊兩艘巡邏船在爭議水域相撞后，兩國關(guān)系迅速惡化。中國對此事采取的措施就包括，暫停SMAP9月份在上海首場演唱會的門票銷售。演唱會最終未能舉行。

SMAP原本定于去年6月在上海世博會演出，但主辦方以安全問題為由取消了演出。

SMAP成員是日本娛樂業(yè)的巨星。他們的表演生涯已長達約20年，1991年發(fā)布首張專輯，經(jīng)常出演電視劇并出現(xiàn)在日本各類綜藝節(jié)目中。