On January 13, 1937 the Japanese army began a brutal attack on the people of Nanking. An estimated 350,000 people were murdered. Other citizens were raped, assaulted, and forced to witness unspeakable acts perpetrated on on their loved ones by the Japanese soldiers . It is difficult to conceptualize the amount to life lost in this attack but “if the dead from Nanking were to link hands, they would stretch from Nanking to the city of Hangchiow, spanning a distance of some two hundred miles.” (Chang) The Rape of Nanking is a gross violation of human rights, however, many individuals either do not know or pretend that the events of the massacre never took place. Why have so many people ignored this horrible atrocity? What do people have to gain from pretending it never happened even when there is clear evidence to the contrary?
In Japan the Rape of Nanking has nearly been erased from history. Ishihara Shinto, a member of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party stated in an interview “People say that the Japanese made a holocaust there [in Nanking], but that is not true. It is a story made up by the Chinese. It has tarnished the image of Japan, but it is a lie.” (Chang) This denial of the atrocities of Nanking illustrates how individuals are willing to erase parts of history in order to preserve their reputations and power. People deny parts of history either to further their agenda or preserve their standing in society. This refusal of the Rape of Nanking has remained part of Japanese history and infiltrated into the modern generation. Textbooks are censored and mention no detail of the horrible events of Nanking. Instead of learning form their mistakes it seems as if government officials are trying to hide them and not take responsibility. This is a tragic mistake that could lead to brutal consequences for future generations.
Though there is sufficient evidence to back the horrors of Nanking individuals are such as Tanaka Masaaki are trying to disprove them. Masaaki has made it his mission to discredit and prove that photographs from Nanking are fake. He wants to prove that the Japanese are not a Barbaric people and were not capable of such horrible crimes. However, he has little evidence to support his cause. Why are people so willing to discredit atrocious such as Nanking and the Holocaust when their is so much evidence to support them? People are afraid to admit that their nations made horrible missteps in the past. Instead of denying them people need to see them as lessons. The only was to move on from the past is to learn from it. In the words of of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemn to repeat it.” (Chung)
Masakki, Tanaka. “What Really Happened in Nanking.” The Refutation of a Common Myth.
Chang, Iris. “The Rape of Nanking” The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.
I based my blog post on the wrongful teachings of history throughout the ages. It is simply not right and destructive to countless generations now and in the future. The facts are there and people find some of the most ridiculous things to criticize and disprove. But to admit this event now will have much more repercussions than if they were to admit it when it was discovered. Your blog was great and I agree wholeheartedly!
I really liked how you brought both articles into your blog to discuss the different views on the Rape of Nanking. I thought it was interesting that Tanaka Masaaki tried to discredit the Nanking massacre even though he was a Chinese citizen who was drafted the army in 1942. I do not understand how he could defend the Japanese after what they did to the Chinese in Nanking. In response to your question about why people are willing to discredit these atrocities, I think it is because of the idea of shame culture. They known what they did was wrong and would rather deny that they were in the wrong than accept the punishment and be shamed for what they did.