January 30, 2017
It has come to light that Japan’s well-known hotel chain, Apa Hotels and Resorts, puts books denying the Nanjing Massacre in its guest rooms. This immediately provoked public criticism.
The book in question, entitled “The true Japanese history”, was written by Motoya Toshio, CEO of the hotel chain owner, Apa Group.
Triggered by a post about the book which U.S. and Chinese students uploaded to their SNS accounts after their stay in an Apa hotel, a wave of anger erupted in China. There is a growing call in Japan for the removal of the books from hotel rooms, but the company shows no intent to respond to the call.
The important point is that the hotel chain in its guest rooms displays a book glorifying Japan’s past war of aggression although hotel rooms have a public nature. In the 2017 Asian Winter Games scheduled to be held in February in Sapporo, athletes are expected to stay at an Apa hotel.
In the book, by claiming that the Chinese government exaggerates the number of victims due to Japanese atrocities, Motoya tries to give the impression that the Nanjing Massacre did not occur and is a fabrication.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry on its website admits that it is an undeniable fact that the Imperial Japanese army killed non-militants and looted stores and houses after entering Nanjing. In 1983, when an organization of former Imperial Japanese army officers asked its members to provide information about the incident to prepare an article for its official paper, it received a large number of letters in which veterans confessed to the mass killings and atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing. The paper carried those letters and issued an apology by the paper’s editors to the Chinese people for the massacre.
Motoya is an enthusiastic supporter of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and once served as a vice head of a supporters’ group for Abe. He declares that he will do his utmost to help PM Abe to stay in power for a long time.
Associated Press reported,”Motoya is a vocal backer of Abe and is connected with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ultra-conservative wing. He organizes lectures and invites leading revisionist historians, ideologues and politicians to speak.”
Past related article:
> Air force chief dismissed over essay on Japan's aggression during World War II [November 1, 2008]
The book in question, entitled “The true Japanese history”, was written by Motoya Toshio, CEO of the hotel chain owner, Apa Group.
Triggered by a post about the book which U.S. and Chinese students uploaded to their SNS accounts after their stay in an Apa hotel, a wave of anger erupted in China. There is a growing call in Japan for the removal of the books from hotel rooms, but the company shows no intent to respond to the call.
The important point is that the hotel chain in its guest rooms displays a book glorifying Japan’s past war of aggression although hotel rooms have a public nature. In the 2017 Asian Winter Games scheduled to be held in February in Sapporo, athletes are expected to stay at an Apa hotel.
In the book, by claiming that the Chinese government exaggerates the number of victims due to Japanese atrocities, Motoya tries to give the impression that the Nanjing Massacre did not occur and is a fabrication.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry on its website admits that it is an undeniable fact that the Imperial Japanese army killed non-militants and looted stores and houses after entering Nanjing. In 1983, when an organization of former Imperial Japanese army officers asked its members to provide information about the incident to prepare an article for its official paper, it received a large number of letters in which veterans confessed to the mass killings and atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in Nanjing. The paper carried those letters and issued an apology by the paper’s editors to the Chinese people for the massacre.
Motoya is an enthusiastic supporter of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and once served as a vice head of a supporters’ group for Abe. He declares that he will do his utmost to help PM Abe to stay in power for a long time.
Associated Press reported,”Motoya is a vocal backer of Abe and is connected with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's ultra-conservative wing. He organizes lectures and invites leading revisionist historians, ideologues and politicians to speak.”
Past related article:
> Air force chief dismissed over essay on Japan's aggression during World War II [November 1, 2008]
