Comments on: Rape of Nanking http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/ Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:19:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Mary Jane http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-42663 Mary Jane Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:02:31 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-42663 I also think what American Atom bomb was bad..But after reading The Rape of Nanking. It's nothing compared to what the Japanese done. I also think what American Atom bomb was bad..But after reading The Rape of Nanking. It’s nothing compared to what the Japanese done.

]]> By: Michelle http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-41002 Michelle Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:04:58 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-41002 Michi, Are you a Japanese? Why are you so agitated? If so, all your arguments and protests are useless. Michi,

Are you a Japanese? Why are you so agitated? If so, all your arguments and protests are useless.

]]> By: Michi http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-39984 Michi Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:43:13 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-39984 Where do people get the idea that there is no free speech in Japan? As far as the so-called "Rape of Nanking" controversy is concerned, those who believe this fallacy can be quite at ease in the sense that there has been full coverage (propaganda?) supporting this view ever since the Tokyo Trial at the end of WWII, when this news sort of popped out of nowhere upon the Japanese public via the Allies. The greatest supporter has been Asahi, the only Japanese newspaper allowed in China during the Cultural Revolution, which held a huge campaign to promote the story. NHK, the national broadcasting company, has also been sympathetic to the view. Oddly, those who support this view tended to ignore the genocide in Cambodia, or the plight in Tibet, and used be very pro-North Korea. There are numerous books and articles published by both sides, and I will cite some later. The soldiers back from Nanking and Japanese who had been to Nanking were those who protested and taken aback by the accusation, but they were mostly socially stygmatized or ignored in the aftermath of the war. One thing to note is that over 100 Japanese reporters and writers did enter Nanking after its fall and none of them reported any irregularities. It's easy to say that they all lied, but there are photos and even a video (yes!) of Nanking when this huge genocide supposedly took place, but it's so odd to see smiling children and peaceful scenes. Also, even if soldiers were told to kept quiet (ha ha!) genocide of this scale is not easy to keep quiet. Word gets around. You have tens of hundreds and thousands of soldiers coming back to Japan, and it's impossible I think to keep something of this scale quiet. Many many personal diaries and memoirs have been published, but none indicate it. During the war, it often happened that Japanese people even in remote places knew about defeats etc. that they weren't supposed to know because little by little, news does leak out. If you read Rabe's diary, you will notice that he himself didn't see any bodies. None of the Westerners witness the killings. (I'm not talking about combat) This, in a place the size of Central Park in NY. I'm sad to say the Japanese government has never protested against the Nanking accusation, which I think is totally and ethically wrong of the government. There has also been books (rightist, I guess you would say) denying the "Rape". They have been a minor force. Also, it's impossible to do a proper "historical study" in China since history is politically decided there. Whatever the Chinese government decides becomes proper history, and they are presently having a huge campagin to promote Nanking to blackmail Japan. However, there has been a turnaround in studies recently because Taiwan has become a much more democratic country in recent years and documents and memoirs of the Nationalist party which escaped there after the Communist takeover are gradually becoming accessible. This has uncovered a whole new set of information about collaboration and intelligence activities of Chinese and Westerners on the forging of the Nanking story. Some recent study includes painstaking research on photos used to "verify" atrocities. Who originally took it, and where? Can it be found in other publications of that time? Where was it first used? The result has been that ALL photos were doctored.i.e. the caption was changed, the place was changed, some were trimmed of vital information, and borrowed from totally different circumstances. I think the Nanking story eases the sense of guilt of the Westerners on the atomic bombings etc., and since Iris Chang's book is so mesmerizing and passionate, it will appeal to anyone with a sense of right if the whole story is true. However it is the biggest fallacy and the most successful piece of war-time propaganda of the last 100 years. Samples of Books denying the "Rape of Nanking": 1."Nanking Jiken Shoko Shashin o Kensho suru" HIGASHINAKANO, Shudo; KOBAYASHI,Susumu; FUKUNAGA, Shinjiro (result of 3 years of examining photographic 'evidence') 2. "Nankin Jiken Kokumintou Gokuhi Bunsho kara Yomitoku" HIGASHINAKANO, Shuzo (Top secret documents of Kuomingtang documents and what they reveal about the Nanking Incident) 3. "Nanking Jiken no Sokatsu" TANAKA, Masaaki (Tanaka was secretary to General Matsui who oversaw the Nanking attack) 4. "Nanking Jiken no Maboroshi" SUZUKI, Akira - thorough field research, interviews and studies of those involved in the 1937 incident. Received the prestigious 4th Oya Soichi non-fiction award 5. "Nanking Jiken Hattenshi" TOMISAWA, Shigenobu (Traces the full history, from how the "Rape of Nanking" story was born, to today) 6. "Nankin Jiken- testimony of 48 Japanese" ARA, Kenichi 7. "Saishin 'Nanking DaiGyakusatsu' Sekai ni uttaeru Nihon no Enzai" OHARA Yasuo; TAKEMOTO Tadao - the second half of this book is in English 8. "Puropaganda Sen 'Nankin Jiken'" MATSUO, Ichiro (Study of photographical 'proof') 9. "Nanking DaiGyakusatsu wa Koushite Tsukurareta - Tokyo Saiban no Giman" FUJI Nobuo (the hypocrisy of the Tokyo trial and how the Nanking story was made) Also - I almost forgot - Nanking and street scenes filmed by Toho from Dec.1937-38 when mass killings supposedly took place. http://www.catta.net/syouwaeizou/senkieizo.html Samples of books saying there was a massacre 1."Nankin Nanminku no 100nichi - Gyakusatsu wo mita Gaikokujinn " KASAHARA, Tokushi ("100 days in the Safety Zone, and Foreigners who witnessed the massacre") 2. "Nankin DaiGyakusatsu Hiteiron 13 no Uso" KASAHARA, Tokushi (claims pictures prove atrocities, even if they were not taken in Nanking) 3. "Ketteiban Nankin DaiGyakusatsu" HORA, Tomio (his comments that more than 200000 died was the trigger that started similar comments in school textbooks) 4. "Nankin DaiGyakusatsu no Genba E" HORA, Tomio; HONDA, Katsuichi (their visit to China was backed up by the Nanking Holocaust Museum in Nanking) 5. "Nankin Sen Tozasareta Kioku wo Tazunete - Heishi 102nin no shogen" MATSUOKA, Kan (testimony of 102 'soldiers' about atrocities they committed. All use pseudonyms. Packed with 'testimonies' such as then 12-year old soldier raping 50 women. More than 1000 such 'errors') 6. "Chuugoku no Tabi" HONDA, Katsuichi (direct quotation of stories of atrocities, provided to him by the Chinese government. It was enormously influential and caused a huge sensation in Japan in 1070's and re-started the it happened - didn't happen debate) 7. "Tenno no Guntai to Nankin Jiken" YOSHIDA, Hiroshi ("Emperor's army and Nanking Incident") 8. "Nanking DaiGyakusatsu - Maboroshika Kousaku Hihan" HORA, Tomio (criticism of 'didn't happen' side) 9. "War in Asia" Edgar Snow References for both sides: 1. "Nanking Jiken no Kakushin" - database of all primary sources on the Nanking incident FUJISAWA, Shigenobu 2. "Nicchuu Senso Shiryoshuu 9 Nankin Jiken2" compiled by HORA, Tomio (includes "What War Is" "Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone" and "Smyth's study") 3. "Nanking no Shinjitsu" John Rabe (translation of John Rabe's diary) Where do people get the idea that there is no free speech in Japan? As far as the so-called “Rape of Nanking” controversy is concerned, those who believe this fallacy can be quite at ease in the sense that there has been full coverage (propaganda?) supporting this view ever since the Tokyo Trial at the end of WWII, when this news sort of popped out of nowhere upon the Japanese public via the Allies. The greatest supporter has been Asahi, the only Japanese newspaper allowed in China during the Cultural Revolution, which held a huge campaign to promote the story. NHK, the national broadcasting company, has also been sympathetic to the view. Oddly, those who support this view tended to ignore the genocide in Cambodia, or the plight in Tibet, and used be very pro-North Korea. There are numerous books and articles published by both sides, and I will cite some later.
The soldiers back from Nanking and Japanese who had been to Nanking were those who protested and taken aback by the accusation, but they were mostly socially stygmatized or ignored in the aftermath of the war. One thing to note is that over 100 Japanese reporters and writers did enter Nanking after its fall and none of them reported any irregularities. It’s easy to say that they all lied, but there are photos and even a video (yes!) of Nanking when this huge genocide supposedly took place, but it’s so odd to see smiling children and peaceful scenes. Also, even if soldiers were told to kept quiet (ha ha!) genocide of this scale is not easy to keep quiet. Word gets around. You have tens of hundreds and thousands of soldiers coming back to Japan, and it’s impossible I think to keep something of this scale quiet. Many many personal diaries and memoirs have been published, but none indicate it. During the war, it often happened that Japanese people even in remote places knew about defeats etc. that they weren’t supposed to know because little by little, news does leak out. If you read Rabe’s diary, you will notice that he himself didn’t see any bodies. None of the Westerners witness the killings. (I’m not talking about combat) This, in a place the size of Central Park in NY. I’m sad to say the Japanese government has never protested against the Nanking accusation, which I think is totally and ethically wrong of the government. There has also been books (rightist, I guess you would say) denying the “Rape”. They have been a minor force. Also, it’s impossible to do a proper “historical study” in China since history is politically decided there. Whatever the Chinese government decides becomes proper history, and they are presently having a huge campagin to promote Nanking to blackmail Japan. However, there has been a turnaround in studies recently because Taiwan has become a much more democratic country in recent years and documents and memoirs of the Nationalist party which escaped there after the Communist takeover are gradually becoming accessible. This has uncovered a whole new set of information about collaboration and intelligence activities of Chinese and Westerners on the forging of the Nanking story. Some recent study includes painstaking research on photos used to “verify” atrocities. Who originally took it, and where? Can it be found in other publications of that time? Where was it first used? The result has been that ALL photos were doctored.i.e. the caption was changed, the place was changed, some were trimmed of vital information, and borrowed from totally different circumstances.
I think the Nanking story eases the sense of guilt of the Westerners on the atomic bombings etc., and since Iris Chang’s book is so mesmerizing and passionate, it will appeal to anyone with a sense of right if the whole story is true. However it is the biggest fallacy and the most successful piece of war-time propaganda
of the last 100 years.

Samples of Books denying the “Rape of Nanking”:
1.”Nanking Jiken Shoko Shashin o Kensho suru” HIGASHINAKANO, Shudo; KOBAYASHI,Susumu; FUKUNAGA, Shinjiro (result of 3 years of examining photographic ‘evidence’)
2. “Nankin Jiken Kokumintou Gokuhi Bunsho kara Yomitoku” HIGASHINAKANO, Shuzo (Top secret documents of Kuomingtang documents and what they reveal about the Nanking Incident)
3. “Nanking Jiken no Sokatsu” TANAKA, Masaaki
(Tanaka was secretary to General Matsui who oversaw the Nanking attack)
4. “Nanking Jiken no Maboroshi” SUZUKI, Akira
- thorough field research, interviews and studies of those involved in the 1937 incident. Received the prestigious 4th Oya Soichi non-fiction award
5. “Nanking Jiken Hattenshi” TOMISAWA, Shigenobu (Traces the full history, from how the “Rape of Nanking” story was born, to today)
6. “Nankin Jiken- testimony of 48 Japanese”
ARA, Kenichi
7. “Saishin ‘Nanking DaiGyakusatsu’ Sekai ni
uttaeru Nihon no Enzai” OHARA Yasuo; TAKEMOTO Tadao - the second half of this book is in English
8. “Puropaganda Sen ‘Nankin Jiken’” MATSUO, Ichiro (Study of photographical ‘proof’)
9. “Nanking DaiGyakusatsu wa Koushite Tsukurareta - Tokyo Saiban no Giman” FUJI Nobuo
(the hypocrisy of the Tokyo trial and how the Nanking story was made)

Also - I almost forgot - Nanking and street scenes filmed by Toho from Dec.1937-38 when mass killings supposedly took place. http://www.catta.net/syouwaeizou/senkieizo.html

Samples of books saying there was a massacre
1.”Nankin Nanminku no 100nichi - Gyakusatsu wo mita Gaikokujinn ”
KASAHARA, Tokushi (”100 days in the Safety Zone, and Foreigners who witnessed the massacre”)
2. “Nankin DaiGyakusatsu Hiteiron 13 no Uso” KASAHARA, Tokushi (claims pictures prove atrocities, even if they were not taken in Nanking)
3. “Ketteiban Nankin DaiGyakusatsu” HORA, Tomio
(his comments that more than 200000 died was the trigger that started similar comments in school textbooks)
4. “Nankin DaiGyakusatsu no Genba E” HORA, Tomio; HONDA, Katsuichi (their visit to China was backed up by the Nanking Holocaust Museum in Nanking)
5. “Nankin Sen Tozasareta Kioku wo Tazunete - Heishi 102nin no shogen” MATSUOKA, Kan
(testimony of 102 ’soldiers’ about atrocities they committed. All use pseudonyms. Packed with ‘testimonies’ such as then 12-year old soldier raping 50 women. More than 1000 such ‘errors’)
6. “Chuugoku no Tabi” HONDA, Katsuichi (direct quotation of stories of atrocities, provided to him by the Chinese government. It was enormously influential and caused a huge sensation in Japan in 1070’s and re-started the it happened - didn’t happen debate)
7. “Tenno no Guntai to Nankin Jiken” YOSHIDA, Hiroshi (”Emperor’s army and Nanking Incident”)
8. “Nanking DaiGyakusatsu - Maboroshika Kousaku Hihan” HORA, Tomio (criticism of ‘didn’t happen’ side)
9. “War in Asia” Edgar Snow

References for both sides:
1. “Nanking Jiken no Kakushin” - database of all primary sources on the Nanking incident FUJISAWA, Shigenobu
2. “Nicchuu Senso Shiryoshuu 9 Nankin Jiken2″ compiled by HORA, Tomio (includes “What War Is” “Documents of the Nanking Safety Zone” and “Smyth’s study”)
3. “Nanking no Shinjitsu” John Rabe
(translation of John Rabe’s diary)

]]> By: Bob http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-39553 Bob Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:45:32 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-39553 I've become more interested in the Nanking Massacre more recently. Am Japanese, grew up in Europe, currently studying Chinese in China. Will be studying East Asian Studies in the US v. soon. I'll reserve making a conclusion on this highly political and emotional topic without first reading various books with contrasting views. I've not gotten round to reading the Iris Chan book, though I've had it in my possession since 98... One thing I'll say is this - I think a lot of Japanese believe bad things happened in Nanking. But only those that deny it happened gets press overseas. As you know, in Japan, lots of books get published, including extreme books. However, I'm pretty sure (though not backed up by any statistics) that the middle roaders are still in the majority (in terms of numbers of death, those believe that not 0 nor 300,000, but somewhere between 20,000-50,000 died). Still a horrific number. The deniers get a voice in Japan which gets picked up by overseas press precisely because they are allowed to speak their mind. I think that shows democracy at work, which is a good thing, whether you are disgusted by what is being said by some right wing (or left wing) people. I’ve become more interested in the Nanking Massacre more recently.

Am Japanese, grew up in Europe, currently studying Chinese in China. Will be studying East Asian Studies in the US v. soon.

I’ll reserve making a conclusion on this highly political and emotional topic without first reading various books with contrasting views.

I’ve not gotten round to reading the Iris Chan book, though I’ve had it in my possession since 98…

One thing I’ll say is this - I think a lot of Japanese believe bad things happened in Nanking.

But only those that deny it happened gets press overseas.

As you know, in Japan, lots of books get published, including extreme books.

However, I’m pretty sure (though not backed up by any statistics) that the middle roaders are still in the majority (in terms of numbers of death, those believe that not 0 nor 300,000, but somewhere between 20,000-50,000 died).

Still a horrific number.

The deniers get a voice in Japan which gets picked up by overseas press precisely because they are allowed to speak their mind.

I think that shows democracy at work, which is a good thing, whether you are disgusted by what is being said by some right wing (or left wing) people.

]]> By: harvey http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-38787 harvey Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:48:17 +0000 http://www.japannewbie.com/2007/06/20/rape-of-nanking/#comment-38787 Michi - Yes, I read Japanese. You're passionate, that's good! We need more passionate citizens. Michi - Yes, I read Japanese.

You’re passionate, that’s good! We need more passionate citizens.

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