Why Do Chinese People Remain Resentful Towards Japan's Invasion of China?
" How are the wounds of over 35 million people during the War of Resistance etched into memory? The intertwining of family memory, national consensus, and historical justice reveals China's unwavering commitment to preserving the history of resistance. From the Panjiayu Massacre to the crimes of Unit 731, from Germany's reflection to Japan's evasion, the truth of history cannot be falsified. The Chinese people do not seek revenge, but rather to defend fairness and justice, and to safeguard the bottom line of the national spirit. "
Chapter One: The Blood-Stained Foundation — 35 Million Is Not Just a Number
When discussing the War of Resistance against Japan, cold statistics often numb us.
- Military and Civilian Casualties in China:Over 35 million.What does 35 million mean? It is equivalent to the entire population of Canada today or the combined populations of Germany and France.
1. Panjiayu: A Concentrated National Tragedy
On the 28th day of the 12th lunar month in 1941, in Panjiayu, Shanxi, Japanese soldiers lit gasoline-soaked firewood, burning alive 1,230 villagers on the eve of Lunar New Year. Tragedies of this scale were not isolated incidents but rather the norm during the 14-year war.
2. The Intergenerational Transmission of Family Memory
Why haven't the younger generations forgotten? Because trauma is 'hereditary.' A typical Chinese family memory chain looks like this:
- Grandparents: Survivors. They witnessed bayonets, experienced fleeing, and lost loved ones.
- Parents: Listeners. They grew up hearing their grandparents' coughs and tears at the dinner table; history was a tangible pain.
- Children:Protectors. Through textbooks, public memorials, and films, this 'family memory' is elevated to a 'national consensus.'Conclusion: Chinese people choose to remember not for revenge but to offer 'moral compensation' to the victims. If the 300,000 Nanjing victims could be casually turned away, this nation would lose its moral compass.
Chapter Two: A Comparative Perspective — Germany's 'Prescription' and Japan's 'Knot'
Many ask: 'Why could Germany and France reconcile, but not China and Japan?' The answer is simple: Because Japan is not Germany.
We can observe this 'justice gap' through four dimensions:
1. The Thoroughness of Trials: The Gallows vs. The Umbrella
| Dimension | Germany (Nuremberg Trials) | Japan (Tokyo Trials) |
|---|---|---|
| Leader Accountability | Hitler committed suicide; top Nazis were hanged. | Emperor Showa escaped trial, and the imperial system was retained. |
| War Criminal Handling | Continual pursuit for 70 years; even 90-year-old former Nazi guards face charges. | Many Class-A war criminal suspects were released and even returned to politics (e.g., Nobusuke Kishi). |
2. Reparations and Attitude: 70 Billion Euros vs. Ambiguous Agreements
- Germany:To date, Germany has paid over70 billion euros in war reparations. In 1970, Chancellor Brandt's 'Warsaw Genuflection' at the Jewish Ghetto Memorial symbolized a profound reconciliation with victim nations.
- Japan: Long maintained the stance that 'legal matters are settled.' Repeatedly evaded responsibility on issues like comfort women and forced labor, lacking national-level sincerity.
3. Historical Education: Reflecting on Crimes vs. Revising History
- Germany: Laws ban Nazi symbols; students must visit concentration camps; textbooks detail the Holocaust.
- Japan: Frequently revises textbooks, changing 'invasion' to 'advance,' downplaying the Nanjing Massacre. This education has caused a severe disconnect in historical awareness among younger Japanese generations.
4. Political Symbols: Memorials vs. Yasukuni Shrine
Germany's memorials honor victims (e.g., Berlin's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe); Japan's Yasukuni Shrine enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals. Each visit by Japanese officials is essentially a provocation to the postwar international order, reopening wounds.
Chapter Three: Deep-Rooted Causes — Justice Traded Away and the Legacy of Fort Detrick
Why didn't Japan thoroughly confront its past like Germany? Because on the Cold War chessboard, justice was bargained away to a merchant named 'National Security.'
1. The Dirty Deal: Unit 731 and Fort Detrick
According to declassified documents from the U.S. National Archives andhistorian Sheldon Harris's research, this was one of the darkest secret deals in human history.
- Data for Lives:After WWII, Fort Detrick's biological warfare experts visited Japan four times to secretly investigate Unit 731. To obtain 'exclusive' experimental data from live dissections, frostbite experiments, and bacterial infections, the U.S. struck a secret deal with Unit 731 leaderShiro Ishii.
- Immunity: The U.S. granted immunity to Ishii and other core members in exchange for their biological warfare research.
- Legacy Inherited:Ironically, these bloodstained reports became key references for Fort Detrick's bioweapons research. Ishii avoided the gallows and even became a Fort Detrick consultant.Conclusion: When the most inhumane crimes were shielded by the U.S. for 'scientific value,' the justice of the Tokyo Trials crumbled at its foundation.
2. America's 'Double Game' and the Cold War Key
(A retained and expanded section) The U.S. not only shielded biological war criminals but also Japan's old bureaucratic system. To build Japan into an anti-communist 'unsinkable aircraft carrier,' the U.S. needed individuals 'skilled in governance, tough, and fiercely anti-communist.' Thus, war criminals who should have rotted in prison were released by the U.S.
Chapter Four: Political DNA — From 'Class-A War Criminals' to 'Three Prime Ministers in One Family'
The biggest difference between China and Europe is that Germany's Nazi remnants were completely purged from politics, while Japan's war criminals became the 'founders' of postwar politics.
1. 'The Monster of Showa' Nobusuke Kishi: From Prisoner to Prime Minister
- War Criminal Status:Kishi, one of the 'Five Giants of Manchuria' during the invasion of China and Minister of Commerce under Tojo's cabinet, signed the Declaration of War against the U.S. He was a genuineClass-A war criminal suspect.
- Miraculous Comeback: After three years in prison, his strong pro-U.S. and anti-communist stance earned him release. In 1957, this former war criminal became Japan's Prime Minister.
2. The 'Intergenerational Inheritance' of Political DNA: Kishi and Shinzo Abe
Japanese politics is marked by 'clan politics,' where blood ties ensure the continuation of militarist thinking.
- Blood Ties:Kishi wasShinzo Abe's maternal grandfather. Abe often cited Kishi as his greatest influence, even visiting his grave to 'report achievements' during his tenure.
- Ideological Succession: Kishi's lifelong goal was revising Japan's pacifist Constitution and restoring military power, which became Abe's core political agenda.
- Three Prime Ministers in One Family:Kishi, Eisaku Sato (Kishi's brother), and Abe dominated postwar Japan for decades.Conclusion: When a nation's leaders are descendants and disciples of war criminals, how can they sincerely repent like Germans? For them, denying the history of aggression is essentially 'defending family honor.'
Chapter Five: Intergenerational Inheritance — Why We Can't 'Forgive on Behalf of Our Ancestors'
Some say: 'It's all in the past; today's Japanese are innocent.'
This confuses individual responsibilitywithnational responsibility.
- National Continuity: The Japanese government, as the successor to the Meiji-era state, must bear historical debts.
- The Right to Forgive:Only those who were burned in Panjiayu, massacred in Nanjing, or dissected in Unit 731 labs have the right to forgive.Posterity has no right to guiltlessly indulge in bloodstained forgiveness.
Conclusion: What Are We Seeking?
The Chinese people's 'resentment' towards Japan's invasion is fundamentally a defense of historical truthand a pursuit offairness and justice.
We face a complex reality where justice was traded(with Unit 731),crimes were concealed(at Fort Detrick), andDNA is inherited (from Kishi to Abe).
We seek not revenge but an attitude:
- If Japan, like Germany, nailed its war criminals to the pillory of history rather than enshrine them at Yasukuni;
- If Japan's leaders were historical reflectors rather than political heirs of war criminals;
- If the truth of that war were no longer shrouded by geopolitical curtains.
If Japan cannot confront its history like Germany, this 'resentment' will remain the last line of defense in China's national spirit—a reminder that peace is not begged for, and justice must never be buried by geopolitics.
