July 7th Incident
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Japanese scholars blast Abe's historical revisionism
TOKYO - As China marks the 78th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident which marked the start of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, hundreds of renowned Japanese scholars gathered in Tokyo, criticizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's historical revisionism. Kamakura Takao, Professor Emeritus of Saitama University, said the Lugou Bridge Incident, also known as the July 7th Incident, signaled the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China. He believed that facing up to history with a right attitude plays a significant role in preventing wars. Takashima Nobuyoshi, Professor Emeritus of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, said Japan's historical revisionism appeared in different forms in each historical period from deification of the Japanese emperor before the war to justification of his crimes after the war, from denial of the Nanjing Massacre to revisions of textbooks on history. "Abe administration's attempt to revise the Murayama Statement is a new form of historical revisionism," he said. The 1995 statement delivered by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama offered an apology for the suffering and damage caused by Japan's aggression in Asia and laid the cornerstone for peaceful relations with other countries. Kazutoshi Hando, a prominent 85-year-old writer, said Japan entered into modern history after the Meiji reform, which accelerated Japan's industrialization and led to its rise as a military power by the year 1905. Japan started its annexation of the Korean Peninsula and the northeastern part of China under the guidance of "attack as a means of defense" strategy adopted by the leaders of that time. Hando said the full-scale invasion of China and the Pacific War proved that Japan couldn't protect itself by attacking others. " The only way to protect Japan is through diplomatic dialogue," he said. Journalist Aoki Osamu reviewed the status quo of Japanese society's historical revisionism, citing the example of the Asahi Shimbun's false reporting. He said almost no media apologizes for the errors of articles except the Asahi Shimbun, which was attacked by the rightists since it retracted two stories last year, including one involving the "comfort women" issue. "This means that the 'comfort women' issue is what the government wants to hide and it is historical revisionism that directed those conservatives to criticize the newspaper," Osamu said. Historical issues have become a major obstacle for Japan to mend its ties with its neighboring countries including China and South Korea. Abe is scheduled to release a landmark statement in August on the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II. Whether the prime minister will face up to history and apologize for Japan's wartime atrocities is key to improving relations with the victimized countries.
76th anniversary of 'July 7th Incident' marked in China
People present flower baskets on the Lugou Bridge during a memorial event marking the 76th anniversary of "The July 7th Incident" in Beijing, capital of China, July 7, 2013. The "July 7 Incident" or the "Lugou Bridge Incident", marked the beginning of the War of Resistance by the Chinese people against Japanese aggression in 1937. A woman presents a flower basket on the Lugou Bridge during a memorial event marking the 76th anniversary of "The July 7th Incident" in Beijing, capital of China, July 7, 2013. The "July 7 Incident" or the "Lugou Bridge Incident", marked the beginning of the War of Resistance by the Chinese people against Japanese aggression in 1937. Zheng Fulai (L), a witness of the "July 7 Incident", recalls the past to visitors on the Lugou Bridge during a memorial event marking the 76th anniversary of "The July 7th Incident" in Beijing, capital of China, July 7, 2013. The "July 7 Incident" or the "Lugou Bridge Incident", marked the beginning of the War of Resistance by the Chinese people against Japanese aggression in 1937.
Archives on the Nanjing Massacre
Six files in the archives are on the Nanjing Massacre. After the July 7th Incident in 1937, Japan’s overall aggression of China was started. On 13 December 1937, the Japanese troops captured Nanjing City. With the connivance of and even the order by Iwane Matsui, Commander of the Japanese Central China Area Army, the Japanese troops committed war crimes of large scale massacre, looting, rape and arson against unarmed Chinese civilians and surrendered Chinese soldiers in Nanjing City and the surrounding areas. These crimes lasted for over six weeks. These archives mainly recorded the following: Information in 13 aspects on Nanjing and its surrounding cities and counties, including the general information, deployment of the police and security forces, activities of autonomous committees, returning of refugees, daily life of residents and restoration of cultural facilities, etc. from 1 to 10 February 1938; Information on restoration of order in areas south of the Yangtze River with Shanghai as the center from 1 to 10 February 1938; Information on the “sweeping attack“ by the Sukekawa Unit and the navy, including the astonishing scene of dead bodies covering an area 1,000 to 1,500 meters long from Zhongzheng Road to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River; Ohno Hiroiti, Head of China Garrison Kempeitai, wrote in his family letter that “according to the newspaper reports yesterday, the Japanese soldiers raped tens of thousands of Chinese women in Nanjing, even including 12-year-old girls. The number of women who were raped and then killed was too large to count. It is really cold blooded.“
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 78 years ago, the Japanese militaristic government launched the "July 7th Incident," and began a full-scale invasion of China.
2 The July 7th Incident was a battle between the Republic of China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army, often used as the marker for the start of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937–1945).
3 On July 7, 1937, Japan manufactured the July 7th Incident (also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident), starting a full-scale war of aggression against China.