China Releases Japanese Soldier Letters on Nanjing Massacre: "Over 10,000 Stragglers Killed"

Marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's defeat, China has additionally released historical records related to the Nanjing Massacre.

State-run Xinhua News Agency reported today that the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders held a donation event yesterday to unveil handwritten letters by Japanese soldiers who invaded China.

Xinhua reported that the newly released materials, including a collection of letters written between 1937 and 1939 by Ishikawa Morita, a soldier in the Japanese 16th Division, and postcards sent back to Japan by Mitsui Shigemasa, a soldier in the Japanese 114th Division, detail the actions of the Japanese military at the time.

In particular, a letter believed to have been written by Ishikawa Morita on December 20, 1937, states, "A few days ago, we killed more than 10,000 stragglers."

Xinhua pointed out that the letter was written just a week after the fall of Nanjing.

This record is evaluated as supporting claims that the Japanese 16th Division committed massive atrocities by slaughtering Chinese prisoners of war during the Nanjing Massacre.

It is also cross-verified by the diary of another soldier from the same unit.

A postcard sent by Mitsui Shigemasa contains details of how his unit captured numerous Chinese prisoners and weapons when they attacked the Jinling Arsenal near the Chunghwa Gate of Nanjing on December 12, 1937.

The memorial hall stated that it newly collected more than 150 items (sets) of cultural relics and historical materials, along with 100 documentary materials, in the first half of this year.

It also explained that most of these historical records were donated by Chinese youths.

Meng Guoxiang, a researcher at China's National Research Center for Public Memory and International Peace, said, "These cultural relics, historical records, and documents show the reality of the atrocities committed by the Japanese military that invaded China, including the Nanjing Massacre. Although the sources of the materials vary, they constitute undeniable evidence through mutual corroboration."

During the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War, from December 13, 1937, to January of the following year, the Japanese military committed atrocities of indiscriminate slaughter against both soldiers and civilians in Nanjing, the capital of the Nationalist government at the time.

China estimates that more than 300,000 people were victimized back then.

China has consistently collected, organized, and released historical records related to the Nanjing Massacre that have been donated or excavated over the years.

In addition, since 2014, China has elevated the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day (December 13) to a national-level event and has been holding national memorial ceremonies.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.