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Haruki Murakami’s acknowledgment of Nanjing Massacre represents voices of justice: expert
By Liu Junguo from People’s Daily
The acknowledgment of Nanjing Massacre by Japanese contemporary best-selling author Haruki Murakami in his new novel represents the voices of justice and conscience, and provides an introspective insight into the historic event from a moral perspective, Chinese expert pointed out.
In his latest novel titled "Kishidancho Goroshi", or "Killing Commendatore", Murakam showed his introspection over the war of aggression waged by Japan against China and the Nanjing Massacre by describing the cruel history part.
The novel, which was published in Japan on February 24, put him under fire from some ultra-right wing factions in Japan, but earned plaudits from many Chinese citizens.
"Yes. It's the Nanjing Massacre. Japan seized the city of Nanjing after fierce battles and killed a lot of people there, both during the battles and after that. The Japanese troops had no time for the captives, so they killed most of the surrendered soldiers and civilians," writes Murakami through the voice of the neighbor in the book.
"...for the exact number of civilian victims (of the Nanjing Massacre), debates existed among historians. But generally, it is not in dispute that the majority of residents were embroiled and killed in the war," the novelist continued.
He adds that some put the Chinese death toll at 400,000, while others say it was 100,000. "But what difference does it make?" he questioned in the book.
The question raised by Murakami, as a world renowned Japanese writer, says the nature of the event and shows a respect to human being’s rights to live, Zhu Chengshan, former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, told the People’s Daily, adding that it represents the voices of justice and conscience.
Murakami’s question touched the nerves of those who attempt to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, Zhu said, stressing that they want to do so because of their twisted and sick conception of history.
The Nanjing Massacre is a world-acknowledged brutal and inhuman crime committed by Japanese troops against Chinese civilians and soldiers in Nanjing during the World War II.
In 1948, The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Trials, affirmed that the number of murdered Chinese residents and captives was over 200,000, not counting the around 150,000 bodies deserted in Yangtze River, buried in the mass grave or disposed in other ways.
Zhu pointed out that the hidden agenda of those who stoked the debate on the exact number of Chinese victims in the mass murder was to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, hence further denying the fact that Japan had invaded China.
History should be taken as mirror to enlighten future. In February 2014, China’s top legislature designated December 13 as National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. The UNESCO, in October 2015, inscribed documents related to the Nanjing massacre in the Memory of the World Register.
Other than those efforts, the legislature in the Canadian province of Ontario is considering designating December 13 as Nanjing Massacre Remembrance Day, and the proposal is under final deliberation.
Pic:
Photo taken shows the exhibition “A Human Holocaust: Historical Facts of the Nanjing Massacre” held by Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. The right side of the photo shows words written in Chinese, English and Japanese saying “victims 300,000”. (Photo: official website of Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders)
In his latest novel titled "Kishidancho Goroshi", or "Killing Commendatore", Murakam showed his introspection over the war of aggression waged by Japan against China and the Nanjing Massacre by describing the cruel history part.
The novel, which was published in Japan on February 24, put him under fire from some ultra-right wing factions in Japan, but earned plaudits from many Chinese citizens.
"Yes. It's the Nanjing Massacre. Japan seized the city of Nanjing after fierce battles and killed a lot of people there, both during the battles and after that. The Japanese troops had no time for the captives, so they killed most of the surrendered soldiers and civilians," writes Murakami through the voice of the neighbor in the book.
"...for the exact number of civilian victims (of the Nanjing Massacre), debates existed among historians. But generally, it is not in dispute that the majority of residents were embroiled and killed in the war," the novelist continued.
He adds that some put the Chinese death toll at 400,000, while others say it was 100,000. "But what difference does it make?" he questioned in the book.
The question raised by Murakami, as a world renowned Japanese writer, says the nature of the event and shows a respect to human being’s rights to live, Zhu Chengshan, former curator of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, told the People’s Daily, adding that it represents the voices of justice and conscience.
Murakami’s question touched the nerves of those who attempt to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, Zhu said, stressing that they want to do so because of their twisted and sick conception of history.
The Nanjing Massacre is a world-acknowledged brutal and inhuman crime committed by Japanese troops against Chinese civilians and soldiers in Nanjing during the World War II.
In 1948, The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Trials, affirmed that the number of murdered Chinese residents and captives was over 200,000, not counting the around 150,000 bodies deserted in Yangtze River, buried in the mass grave or disposed in other ways.
Zhu pointed out that the hidden agenda of those who stoked the debate on the exact number of Chinese victims in the mass murder was to deny the existence of Nanjing Massacre, hence further denying the fact that Japan had invaded China.
History should be taken as mirror to enlighten future. In February 2014, China’s top legislature designated December 13 as National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims. The UNESCO, in October 2015, inscribed documents related to the Nanjing massacre in the Memory of the World Register.
Other than those efforts, the legislature in the Canadian province of Ontario is considering designating December 13 as Nanjing Massacre Remembrance Day, and the proposal is under final deliberation.
Pic:
Photo taken shows the exhibition “A Human Holocaust: Historical Facts of the Nanjing Massacre” held by Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. The right side of the photo shows words written in Chinese, English and Japanese saying “victims 300,000”. (Photo: official website of Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders)
