The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on
Monday accepted a donation of 20 items, including combat
dispatches, letters and newspapers, adding more proof that Japanese
soldiers committed unspeakable atrocities in Nanjing in 1938.
The donation was made during the Nanjing International Peace
Forum by 41-year-old Daito Satoshi, abbot of the Kyoto-based Enkoji
Temple.
"These donations are very precious and provide new evidence of
Japanese brutality in Nanjing," said Zhu Chengshan, head of the
memorial hall, one of China's largest and most influential museums
focused on the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945).
Zhu identified the nine original combat dispatches as the most
valuable items.
The reports detail how the 18th Division of the Japanese Army
attacked and captured the city, and included records of the ensuing
massacre, Zhu said.
"Although we also have some battlefield reports in our
collection, they are all duplicates," Zhu said. "Confronted with
these materials, I think Japanese right-wingers cannot deny
history."
Another important donation was a postcard sent by a soldier with
the Matsushima Troop to his family.
The postcard was sent on January 26, 1938, with a photo of
Nanjing under Japanese occupation.
"The Matsushima Troop was the main force of the Nanjing
Massacre, and this postcard is crucial proof to illustrate this
point," Zhu said.
A board game called "Japanese peaceful competition," designed
for children, was also among the donations.
The board shows a map of China and players put flags on the
various cities to announce their "occupation."
"The game demonstrates the Japanese government's military
indoctrinations of their children at that time," Satoshi said. The
abbot has a collection of items evidencing Japanese war crimes in
China and has already made several previous donations to the
hall.
The Nanjing Massacre saw Japanese invaders in December of 1937
begin a killing spree that resulted in the murder of at least
300,000 civilians and disarmed soldiers in the city. Japanese
soldiers often held killing contests with prizes given to the one
who could murder the most civilians.
Despite the abundant available proof, right-winged Japanese
continue to deny that the massacre took place and question the
number of people who were butchered.
The memorial hall was opened to the public in 1985, with the aim
of "revealing the truth to the world." Over the past 20 years, it
has received 13.97 million visitors.
Currently, the 2.2-hectare memorial hall is being renovated. It
is being expanded to cover 7.4 hectares. It will reopen on December
13 next year.
"There will be a display of documents, pictures and items
showcasing the contributions the Kuomintang made during the
eight-year anti-Japanese war," Zhu said.
China has more than 150 museums dedicated to preserving the
memory of those who died and suffered during the Anti-Japanese
War.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)