politics

China declares national days for Nanjing Massacre, Japan defeat

38 Comments

Chinese lawmakers approved national remembrance days Thursday to commemorate the Nanjing Massacre and Japan's defeat in World War II, state media said, amid bitter disputes over territory and history.

"Sept 3 was ratified as the victory day and Dec 13 the national memorial day for massacre victims", the official Xinhua news agency said, reporting decisions by members of the National People's Congress, China's rubberstamp parliament.

Japan invaded China in the 1930s and the two countries fought a full-scale war from 1937 to 1945.

China says more than 300,000 people were slaughtered by Japanese troops in a six-week killing spree in the then capital Nanjing, which began on Dec 13 1937. Some foreign academics put the figure lower.

It was unclear what significance the formal "national days" will have, although they are not expected to be public holidays.

The Chinese government previously designated as victory day Sept 3, the day after Japan formally surrendered to the Allies on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay in 1945.

"The approval of the national days has great historical significance and is a necessity in current circumstances," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said following the decision.

Tokyo and Beijing are embroiled in a series of rows, including a long-running diplomatic spat over disputed islands in the East China Sea.

Tensions rose further last month when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Yasukuni shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals.

Chinese officials often call on Japan to "reflect" on its past, while Tokyo says its neighbors use history as a diplomatic stick to beat it with.

© (c) 2014 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

38 Comments
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Chinese officials often call on Japan to “reflect” on its past, while Tokyo says its neighbors use history as a diplomatic stick to beat it with.

Both are right in that statement. China needs to reflect on its past (and present) as well, and stop staying in the past once Japan stops trying to whitewash/cover up its history... which by the way is exactly what China's government has been doing since Mao was in power.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

"Tokyo says its neighbors use history as a diplomatic stick to beat it with." Looking at the countless and never accepted apologies I can only say: Very true! Additional Chinas mafia regime needs this as a tool to unify the own people behind an enemy in order to avoid protests against the failures in the own government. Any further apology from Japan is therefore completely useless.

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

Let's keep the narrative simple. Japan can play the wicked stepmother, and China can play Dopey and Sneezy. (The latter being an allusion to its rapidly deteriorating air quality.)

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What is the reality of the Chinese central government and their intention? Japan and China are trading as usua and local governments are eager to invite Japanese investments.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Yeah...we consider that day when we "pulled out" of china.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

This is why it's never a good thing to go to War.

What the conquered calls a "Massacre" the conquers will call a "Campaign" or perhaps an "Operation".

In any sense of the word and no matter how ugly the outcome is; in War - everyone loses a Son, a Daughter, a Brother, Father or Mother. The carnage of War turns us into bloodthirsty animals craving for death to the enemy and to destroy everything the enemy is - Their Lives, Their Language, Their Religion, Their God(s), Their Culture, Their entire DNA Sequence!

H.G. Wells put it in a better perspective in 1914 when he released The World Set Free:

"Mankind is the tool using, fire making animal."

Keep at that diplomacy thing...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

roughneckFeb. 28, 2014 - 07:40AM JST Yeah...we consider that day when we "pulled out" of china.

It's an internal matter for China. Every country has right to designate which date is for national rememberance. Japan does it every year on August 6th and they have every right to remember. U.S. remembers December 7, 1941 of the Japan's Pearl Harbor attack.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Japan imperial army are bad and rotten egg. they shamed me as their descendant.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

So they went ahead and did it. The big question now is whether this law will just remain on the books (to be trotted out as necessary) or whether it will die a slow death the next time China's policy veers one way or the other (become unhistory in Orwellian terms). Of course, the third (and most unsavory option) would be for China to run with this policy and commemorate these events as threatened. That being said, however, the Central Commitee of the Chinese Communist Party is well aware the social mobilization in China has a history of becoming uncontrolled very quickly. When people say that both the Boxer Rebellion, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution were "unleashed," what they mean is that a state of near anarchy quickly took hold. Of course, the worry on this occasion is not that China conducts some great staged-managed theatrical events, the worry is what happens next. Do things rapidly spiral out of control as a brain-washed population brought up in China's educational system go on the rampage and start killing people and destroying property. To whit, there is a chance that such a wave of anti-Japanese rhetoric might soon transform into a general purge of all thing foreign. China's minorities would also be at risk.

Worrying developments indeed.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Considering the current political climate you have to suspect the timing of this is simply to irritate Japan.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

You'd figure if these days were actually important they would have been established in the past. I don't know, maybe right after the war when it was more relevant. I have no problem with them establishing these days, but it seems that the true purpose is obviously just to piss Japan off more. When will this childish game of name calling and stone throwing end? (rhetorical question)

2 ( +3 / -1 )

China will remember as it wishes. It is not for the world to observe the day despite China's wishes for international ratification.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The approval of the national days has great historical significance and is a necessity in current circumstances

In other words, it is necessary to continue your stream of propaganda and brainwashing.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Forgiveness is hard but necessary for both countries to move ahead in creating a world that can live in peace.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

CHINA is a communist DICTATORSHIP so very easy for them to come up with every excuse under the sun and to blame everything and anything on JAPAN!! What HIPOCRISY!! The Chinese invaded TIBET!! They invaded the Uighur Muslim area changing the name to Xianxing or some other BS Chinese name and trying to wipe out, exterminate the NATIVE Muslims!! Even the regular Han Chinese do not even trust nor believe their own Beijing government!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

i will not blame the chinese, i blamed my ancestors wrongdoing.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

So, what day should the world declare as the official day of remembrance for the Chinese invasion of Tibet? Last I checked they were still killing Tibetans, not to mention the Uighurs. Hypocrites.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Smokescreen.

How about National Admitting that China Is Anything But Communist Day?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

One thing I don't agree with the Chinese government is the way they deal with Japanese politicians. Instead of ignoring Japan they took it as a rival. They still haven't figured out that Washington.in controlling Tokyo.

Talk with U.S. directly in determining the fate of Japan.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

Can't see any fault with this. Japan keeps denying it so China want to make sure the world remembers it. I know it's mainly about two archrivals butting heads yet again, but Japan's continued downplaying of historical facts is just adding fuel to this fire.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Chinese lawmakers approved national remembrance days Thursday to commemorate the Nanjing Massacre and Japan’s defeat in World War II, state media said, amid bitter disputes over territory and history.

It starts with this, and next thing we know, they'll be glorifying the Cultural Revolution and the invasion of Tibet. These National holidays are just an excuse to incite anti-Japanese sentiment. It's like the Patron Saint days in Britain. It's supposed to be a celebration of each country's Patron Saint and the deeds they did (allegedly. I'm still waiting for proof that any of them ever existed), but really, people from each country take their patriotism a step too far, into racism quite often. I've known people to get attacked for not celebrating St George's Day. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar were to happen in China. Mind you, most of the Chinese people seem to be brainwashed by the CCP's propaganda, so there aren't going to be many who don't celebrate these anti-Japan days, and any who don't will be attacked or will mysteriously vanish. Can't have them upsetting the apple cart by disagreeing with the propaganda.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I think no Japanese would raise objection, for any country has the right to commemorate people killed in the war.

I hope Chinese Communist Party would also commemorate the 300,000 Chinese civilian victims who were killed by CCP mostly out of starvation during the Siege of Changchun in 1948. The record says, of the 500,000 citizens of Changchun, only 170,000 survived the siege. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Changchun

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Ok what country experienced a pleasant occupation, Japanese troops were undisipled, barbaric and sexually cruel. The more denials the more more the world remembers. What Asian country has fond memories of occupation by the imperial japanese army, ...utter silence. Gang rape, beheading, bayoneting, vivisection, poisoning on a vast scale. The denials...really hold water.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Most countries have similar memorial days on their calendar and I see no reason why China should have such days too, but to announce it some 70 odd years later in the midst of a territorial dispute is clearly a politically motivated ploy to increase tensions between Japan and China. Both of these countries' leaders need a good face palm to make them wake up and play well together.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

The Japanese can hardly complain, having changed Green day to Showa day a few years ago. Hirohito was complicit in the misdeeds of Japanese forces, yet now his shameful reign is marked by a national holiday.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The Japanese can hardly complain, having changed Green day to Showa day a few years ago. Hirohito was complicit in the misdeeds of Japanese forces, yet now his shameful reign is marked by a national holiday.

The 29th April (now Showa no Hi) was Hirohito's birthday and a national holiday from the time he ascended the throne in 1926, as per the usual custom. When he died, it was decided to keep the holiday (because abolishing it would dull the glitter of Golden Week) but they called it Midori no Hi because now the emperor's birthday was shifted to 23rd December. It was basically a case of, we can't continue doing this because the legitimate reason has disappeared, so we'll change the name and carry on just the same as before: (a bit like calling commercial whaling 'scientific research'). Now with the holiday they've revamped the name to something closer to the original, and moved Midori no Hi to the 4th May, which wasn't officially a holiday but lots of people took time off for anyway, or wanted to take time off for, so it might as well be - a way of trying to gain political popularity by giving the masses an extra holiday. I don't see anything sinister at all in Showa no Hi, it isn't as if some bright spark suddenly decided to create a new day to commemorate past wicked deeds. It's just one day in Golden Week, and always has been.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Why not make A National Smog Day! I think it should be called National Slackers Day! @ Mr Japan you wrote the following "i will not blame the chinese, i blamed my ancestors wrong doing". I think you are a MOLE here on Japantoday! Imposter funny though! Come out of the smog?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Guys... Its a "Chinese holiday" lolol

Nothing to get upset over....

Think about it .... No one will be allowed to work that day.... And each family will have less money in their pockets...

..... because of this new Japanese holiday....

Which, later will be blamed on the Japanese as well.... ;)

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is what quasi-democracies do. Declare days for this and that. Another day another celebration. Japan did the same last year with some day celebrating the return of Okinawa (or whatever it was, who remembers?)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Well when you have nothing to celebrate about your countries recent work you have to live in the past ..oh and forget all the bad hypocritical things you have done too since, while other countries you criticize have not. China still a developing country financially, more interested in their own money than blood at the UN regading other countries, when their culture starts to develop too then I'll might be interested in what national holidays and culture they have to offer. Maybe if they had some other types of public holiday they could promote themselves higher up the world view of china rankings that happen every year by other counties the world over. They must be really annoyed that so many countries readily came to Japan's aid post tsunami and that those countries don't view China so well.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Unilaterally declare Tiananmen Day, invasion of Tibet day, years and years of slaughter during the reign of Mao day...ridiculous.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Hooray its Death of Mao Day, and Mourning Crossing the Yalu River Day... Official "Smash Communism to Smithereens Day", hooray! Party like its 1917...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Haha ! Did anybody noticed most of the posts above? Chinese proverb "恼羞成怒“ is best described their feelings...anger out of shame! You will be cordially invited to the 2 memorable days. Look forward to meet you there!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This would make some sense if China (PRC) actually defeated Japan in WWII. But since they didn't it's just gloating over someone else's efforts.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

“The approval of the national days has great historical significance and is a necessity in current circumstances,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said following the decision.

So having a specific day to stir up hatred towards Japan is a necessity, yes? Anyone who believes that these days are purely for remembrance are living in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Will they have a day to remember the thousands murdered in the purges during the Cultural Revolution?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@OssanAmerica: Agreed. It doesn't make sense, unlike VE (Victory in Europe) Day. The British can celebrate it, because Britain was a major part of the Allied forces that defeated the Nazi's during WWII. China didn't defeat Japan, so it doesn't add up.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

冤冤相报何时了..there will no ends if one is to revenge hatred against hatred. If Japan is to keep on tickle-toeing and deny its wrong doings, let's see how it will be shrink into tiny pieces by the world without anybody firing a bullet.

This is the start and China please keep it up!

Being defeated or not being defeated, yet Japan surrendered, millions of P.O.W sent home from China unilled-treated (what specy on earth can call it "a stop fighing day", what to tell the world the 15th day of August 1945?, unique Ah Q mentality, lol!).

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

This is another example of China pulling Japan's chains.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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