More than 100 people gathered in an auditorium in Tokyo on Thursday evening to once more confront their country's history of aggression through testimonies and archival material regarding the Nanjing Massacre.
This year marks the 88th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, and Saturday marks the 12th national memorial day for the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
The testimony meeting was organized by the Japanese civic group "No More Nanjing" that has held public testimony events on the Nanjing Massacre around Dec 13 in Tokyo and other cities for 29 years, giving Nanjing Massacre survivors, their descendants and scholars a platform to tell their stories and to push Japanese society to confront its history of aggression with honesty.
At this year's event, a video testimony was played, in which Cao Yuli, daughter of two Nanjing Massacre survivors, recounted her mother's words.
Both of Cao's parents lived through the Nanjing Massacre as children, who witnessed the deaths of their own relatives at the hands of Japanese invaders. Though they survived, the trauma followed them for the rest of their lives.
"Japanese soldiers kept chasing after them, firing as they ran. After a burst of gunfire, a water buffalo fell. My third great-uncle also ran desperately, but was still struck in the chest by bullets. Japanese soldiers then stabbed him with bayonet, and he died in a ditch outside the village. Knowing the Japanese were killing people everywhere, my grandfather and the others dared not return. Later, they heard that my third great-uncle had been killed by the Japanese, but they didn't dare to claim his body for a long time. And because of that, half of his face was bit off by wild dogs," Cao said in the video.
Most of those attending the meeting were elderly. They said Japanese education barely touches on the Nanjing Massacre. The Japanese government has been emphasizing Japan's wartime suffering, such as the atomic bombings, but left out the broader context of why the bombings occurred and the country's role as a perpetrator.
They called on the Japanese government to face up to its history of aggression and prevent such tragic history from repeating itself.
"I was shocked by Ms. Cao's testimony. We must know such facts, take this history seriously, and read and listen more about the relevant history. Japan must do better in history education," said a participant.
"Whenever I think about the Nanjing Massacre, I feel deeply ashamed for being a Japanese. Reflecting on such an event makes me realize how war can rob people of their humanity. I think it's necessary that more and more people know the truth, and that these facts can be widely disseminated," said another participant.
"During compulsory education, I didn't learn much about these war atrocities. I think this is also true with many other students. Today's Japanese government, in statements such as the speech on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, doesn't mention the history of aggression and seems hesitant to use the word 'aggression'. If we cannot properly pass on the history as it actually happened, including this aggression history, it will be difficult for people from different countries to be open and honest in communications on an equal manner and to have discussions about the future. I hope that the government will shoulder its due responsibility in telling a continuous and complete history," said another participant.
The Nanjing Massacre took place after Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
Nanjing Massacre testimonies renew calls in Japan to confront aggression history
