The Second Sino-Japanese War is a conflict that lives deep in the hearts and memories of many people throughout the world. It was a monumental conflict in terms of scope of warfare and casualties, as well as the implications that resulted from it. It is odd therefor, that many people throughout the world, particularly in the West, are unfamiliar with it entirely. It is even more odd that among those who study the war, there is an intense amount of disagreeing over various facts pertaining to the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. In 1937 Japanese forces overtook the Chinese city of Nanking, leading to what has been labeled one of the fiercest and most brutal exertions of violence towards civilians in the modern era.
In what has now been dubbed “The Rape of Nanking”, the occupying Japanese forces caused what has been estimated to be anywhere between 50,000-300,000 civilian casualties . While these numbers are extreme, there is quite fantastically people who deny the very existence of such a massacre. Tanaka Masaaki, a Japanese writer, attempts to convince people of the massacre’s falsehood. Masaaki attempts to do this by calling into question the authenticity of the photographs which documented the atrocities. While I am no expert in examining photographs, and cannot refute the claims that he makes regarding them, I do not find his argument persuasive. There have been multiple Japanese officers who have come forward acknowledge the part that they played in the killings. I also do not believe that something that large could be completely fabricated as Masaaki suggests. Even if it is being overblown, which I do not believe, it would still require some level of acceptance and acknowledgment given to it.
Ultimately I believe that Masaaki is unable to face the truth of what his nation did in the past. Atrocities such as this leave scars upon the nations involved for many years, and the perpetrators are no exception to that. I believe that Masaaki is rewriting history because he cannot accept this piece of his national heritage. Unfortunately, denying the existence of history does not make it go away. People have to come to acknowledge the past if they hope to heal their scars.
Photograph showing a mass grave that is in “dispute”
I agree with you that Masaaki is unable to face the fact of what his country did because he tries really hard to cover it up but also doesn’t really give real examples of anything as to why.
I did not find Masaaki’s argument persuasive either! I do think his argument about doctored photographs was interesting because I am reminded of the famously staged civil war photographs. There was a photography company that would move dead bodies, uniforms, and weapons around in order to arouse sympathy from the viewer. I am firm believer that “photography does more than reflect reality; it also interprets it.” However, Masaaki’s arguments did not sit well with me because I did not see what he saw in the photographs.
I agree that Masaaki’s argument is relatively weak, and really only seeks to twist the facts and present little to no credible evidence for his position. When some of your own people come forward to admit to the killings, it is hard to continue living in denial.
While reading Maasaki’s article, I was reminded of the work of Holocaust deniers. I read a handful of books and articles about how the Holocaust was faked a few years back and, just like in “What Really Happened in Nanking,” their authors would examine evidence of the event and attempt to refute it based on multiple small details they don’t feel align. Maasaki points to shadows in a photo as evidence of doctoring while a book I read (I apologize for the lack of source, it has been years since I’ve read it) pointed to how wells were arranged in concentration camps meant that the camp did not exist.
I do agree that the Japanese need to come to terms with their past at some point. I believe that some sort of atrocity did occur at Nanking, but since I was not present at the time of the event, and have only read a limited amount of articles and research on it I simply cannot make a conclusive statement at this time. I also think that Western countries should touch on the Rape of Nanking more than they do since it is such a massive and controversial event. If the whole world begins a discussion on it maybe that could lead to more research from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scholars.