Japan Press Weekly

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2007 December 12 - 18 [HISTORY]

International symposium marking 70th anniversary of Nanking Massacre held in Tokyo

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre, “Tokyo International Symposium on Nanking Massacre – Confront the Past: Towards Reconciliation and Peace in East Asia” was held in Tokyo on December 15 and 16.

This symposium, with about 360 people attending, was a part of a series of symposiums that have been held in eight countries in Asia, Europe, and North America since last March.

The Tokyo symposium adopted an appeal calling for the creation of a “Committee of Truth and Reconciliation in East Asia” as a regional body in which representatives of governments, citizens’ organizations, and scholars in the region will take part.

Kasahara Tokushi, a Tsuru University professor who is a co-representative of the organizing committee of the international symposium, called on participants to strive for the establishment of peace.

Lawyer Oyama Hiroshi, the organizing committee chair, stated, “Efforts are underway elsewhere in the world for making a remembrance of the Nanking Massacre as a common remembrance for humankind in a pledge to not repeat the same mistakes.”

“Only based on cooperation and dialogue between peoples as well as on research done by scholars across national borders, can reconciliation between states be promoted,” he pointed out and stressed that it is citizens’ movements that can achieve such reconciliation.

The appeal urged the Japanese government to (i) officially offer apologies to wartime victims, including survivors of the Nanking Massacre and their dignity, (ii) offer them individual compensation, and (iii) honestly convey the realities of the Sino-Japanese War and the Asia-Pacific War to people, particularly the next generation.

Citing the increase in citizens’ movements in Japan, Mark Selden, a professor at Cornell University in the U.S., in his commemorative lecture pointed out that the basis of reconciliation between Japan and East Asian countries has already been formed.

Chinese war victims, including those who were brought to Japan and forced to work as slaves, have filed lawsuits in Japan in the past more than 10 years. Although they have lost those cases, court rulings have recognized historical facts in detail.

Lawyer Minami Norio pointed out plaintiffs and their lawyers in these lawsuits demand the Japanese government’s apology and compensation to victims, commonly shared understanding of history of Japan and China, and the establishment of a friendly relationship between Japan and China.

Kawakita Atsuko, associate professor at Tokyo University, in her speech on discussions on war responsibility in Europe reported that Germany and France have jointly produced history textbooks in 2006.

Jean-Louis Margolin, professor at Provence University in France, spoke about the process of reconciliation in Europe in which cultural exchanges between citizens developed into mutual recognition of the past war and encouraged the symposium participants to take further action.