Remembrance and Reflection

On the morning of July 7， 2014， Chinese President Xi Jinping joined more than 1，000 people gathering at the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression near Marco Polo Bridge in Fengtai District， Beijing， to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the July 7 Incident. His appearance marked the first time for a sitting Chinese president to attend the annual memorial.

On July 7， 1937， Japanese troops re- quested to enter the walled town of Wanping near Marco Polo Bridge under the pretense of searching for a missing soldier. After their request was declined， the Japanese opened fire on the Chinese troops garrisoned in the town. The attack became known as the July 7 Incident. It heralded Japan’s comprehensive launch of war on China， as well as Chinese resistance against Japanese invasion.

As a major theater of World War II， China suffered bitterly defending itself against eight years of Japanese aggression. Historians have tallied more than 35 million Chinese casualties during the period， with 200 million more left homeless and China’s total economic losses surpassing US$560 billion. Particularly， the Nanjing Massacre， in which Japanese invaders killed 300，000 people， mostly civilians， continues to haunt the hearts of Chinese people.

Recently， a series of events to commemorate the War of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression was held around China. From late June through August， Beijing organized nearly 40 memorial events. The State Archives Administration of China has been consecutively releasing full texts of confessions by 45 Japanese war criminals online since July 3 – one a day， over 45 days. At the end of February， the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， China’s supreme legislative body， passed a resolution marking September 3 as Victory Day of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance against Japanese Aggression and December 13 as National Memorial Day for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

One reason China has been holding events to commemorate the victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression so extensively is Tokyo’s recent moves to deny its wartime crimes. Since becoming Japanese prime minister in December 2012， Shinzo Abe has constantly embroiled historic issues： He visited the Yasukuni Shrine despite objections from multiple neighboring countries， claimed that levels of aggression remain unclear， and pushed for revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution. Some Japanese politicians have even defended Japan’s widespread sexual slavery， or “comfort women” as they have been called， during the war. On July 1， 2014， the Japanese cabinet approved a resolution to allow the country to exercise collective self-defense， which will enable its troops to fight overseas for the first time since the end of World War II.

Su Zhiliang， a professor and historian of World War II at Shanghai Normal University， remarked that the recent rightist swing by the Japanese government， especially its resolution to lift the self-imposed ban on the right to exercise collective self-defense， enables Japan to go to war. He added that in this context， China should remember history and oppose imperialism along with people from around the world， so as to safeguard peace.

The destructive commentary and behavior of the Japanese government has not only kindled fierce opposition from China， but evoked wide criticism from other Asian countries and the international community at large. Even some politicians from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party （LDP） worry about how far right Shinzo Abe will go， and some members of LDP’s coalition partner – the New Komeito Party – called for caution in regards to Abe’s radical claims. Japan’s behavior has also evoked strong objections from neighbors such as South Korea. Even the Philippines， a country that Japan has made great strides to appease， recently broke silence and asked Japan to abide by the Kono Statement that acknowledges Japan’s crime related to “comfort women” during World War II.

In response to Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s remark that the “comfort women” system during World War II was“necessary，” Ed Royce， chairman of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs， commented that most countries in the world have condemned Japan’s actions in the Nanjing Massacre and in forcing thousands of women into sexual slavery， and that those who deny the usage of “comfort women” are denying actual well-document- ed history. In a report， the U.S. Congressional Research Service labeled Shinzo Abe a“strong nationalist” and expressed concern that “comments and actions on controversial historical issues by Prime Minister Abe and his cabinet have raised concerns that Tokyo could upset regional relations in ways that hurt U.S. interests.” Financial Times remarked that Abe would release his “demons of inner nationalism” sooner or later.

“History is the best textbook， as well as the best dose of sobriety，” Chinese President Xi declared at the memorial event of the July 7 Incident， adding that Chinese people who remember the torments of war always pursue peace. “Chinese people pursue peace and justice not only for their own interests， but for a peaceful world and ensuring that the development of human society stays on the right track，” com- mented Gao Hong， vice director of the Institute of Japanese Studies under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Remembering history is essential to safeguarding peace. The purpose of commemorating the victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is maintaining peace. Only by acknowledging history will future tragedies be averted， and our world can remain peaceful.”