Typhoon Wutip makes landfall in China's Hainan

Typhoon Wutip, the first typhoon of the year, made landfall near Dongfang City in south China's island province of Hainan at around 23:00 on Friday, according to the Hainan Meteorological Service.

At the time of landfall, Wutip had weakened to a severe tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 30 meters per second near its center and a central minimum pressure of 980 hectopascals.

South China’s Hainan Province, Guangdong Province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are actively implementing measures to lessen the impact of the typhoon.

On Friday, gusts reaching level 10 hit Hainan's Ledong Li Autonomous County. The strong winds forced a local power plant to suspend operations.

Wutip also brought powerful winds and massive waves to the wharfs at Tianya Haijiao, a popular tourist destination in Sanya City. Earlier, the local marine bureau had evacuated all crew members and secured small vessels ashore in the area.

Meanwhile, maritime search and rescue operations are underway in response to the typhoon's impact. In the early hours of Friday, the South China Sea Rescue Bureau successfully rescued 12 crew members from a cargo ship stranded in the storm's path.

The bureau has deployed seven rescue vessels and four helicopters across its operational area, maintaining full readiness for typhoon response and emergency rescue missions.

In addition, Haikou City in Hainan has stockpiled approximately 4,500 tons of vegetables in advance to ensure stable supply and prices as the typhoon approaches.

"This vegetable retail outlet will maintain normal operating hours during the typhoon. We will flexibly arrange additional deliveries based on sales and market demand to ensure a stable supply of affordable and safe vegetables for residents," said Zeng Jimei, deputy manager of a local vegetable retail outlet.

"We don't need to leave our community, because all our basic daily needs are met here," said a Haikou resident.

In Zhanjiang, a coastal city in Guangdong, all schools have been closed citywide in preparation for the approaching typhoon. Local authorities are fully prepared to relocate residents from vulnerable areas if necessary.

Multiple coastal railways in southern China have adjusted their operations, with some services suspended due to safety concerns.

On Friday, China raised its flood and typhoon emergency response from Level IV to Level III for southern coastal provinces, deploying specialist teams to vulnerable regions to assist with disaster prevention efforts.

Typhoon Wutip makes landfall in China's Hainan

Japan should better inform its younger generations about its history of aggression during World War II (WWII) to raise anti-war awareness in society, according to descendants of Japanese invaders in China during WWII.

On July 7, 1937, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, marking the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China and China's nationwide resistance against the Japanese invaders, initiating a whole-of-nation war effort that opened the main Eastern battlefield in the global war against fascism.

In a recent interview with China Media Group, Kuroi Akio, one of the five descendants who visited China last year for an apology tour, warned about the lack of information in today's education system regarding Japan's wartime invasion of China and other Asian countries.

"Three years ago, I asked a group of children between the ages of six and 10 if Japan had ever been in a war and where it was fought. About 70 children raised their hands, so I asked them one by one. Every child answered 'America,' and not one mentioned any other country. The children knew about the war with the United States and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, they didn't know about Japan's invasions of China, the Korean Peninsula, China's Taiwan region, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This is the reality, and that's why the education in Japan is so hopeless," said Kuroi, who knelt down before the Chinese people during his apology tour in northeast China's Jilin Province last September.

Kurokawa Yasuko, another descendant, also called for better education in Japan about its wartime history, saying it was essential for a properly informed public opinion.

"I think that [the lack of war history education] is wrong. It's important to teach students the history of Japan's invasion to others in the modern world, otherwise the public opinion of this country will be steered in the wrong direction," she said.

"We hope to create a strong anti-war public opinion in Japan. My activities are called 'micro-power' in Japan, a tiny power indeed, but by gathering voices of support and agreement, such drops of water will become a stream, a river, and eventually an ocean. Without a peaceful future, mankind can't survive. Humanity's future can only be realized through the belief in peace," Kuroi said.

Japan should better inform younger generations about its wartime atrocities: WWII descendants