Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

'Rape of Nanking' Fresh, 70 Years Later

Massacre still colors Sino-Japan relations, informs China's identity

By Zach Samalin, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 15, 2007 5:19 AM CST

(Newser) – Seventy years have passed since the "Rape of Nanking," when Japanese soldiers brutally massacred as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians, but the effects of the trauma are still very much present in China and its relations with Japan. Memorializing the event plays a major role in cementing China's sense of its own history, Der Spiegel reports.

A museum—currently undergoing major renovations—is built atop the unofficial graves of countless dead, and the entire landscape of the city now called Nanjing is peppered with symbolic sites and historic houses. The World War II-era occupation remains a raw topic in both countries. Some Japanese nationalists deny it occurred, while China's Communist leaders have used it to bind party to people amid capitalist reforms.

[Images (7)]

[Videos (1)]

Chinese soldiers pay their respects during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, at the memorial hall of the victims, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu... (Associated Press)

People pay their respect during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, at the memorial hall of the victims, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu province,... (Associated Press)

A man walks at the memorial hall of the Victims in Nanjing massacre a day before the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu province, Wednesday... (Associated Press)

Japanese soldiers entering Nanking in 1937. (Public Domain)

Chinese people attend a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese troops, at the memorial hall of Nanjing massacre, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu province, Thursday... (Associated Press)

A child walks at The Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu... (Associated Press)

Thousands of pigeons are released during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese troops, at the memorial hall of Nanjing massacre, in Nanjing eastern China's Jiangsu... (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Rape of Nanking Nanjing Massacre Part I Atrocities in Asia (Sarastarlight (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Japan, China Cut Currency Deal, Shun Dollar

Leaders also discuss North Korea

(NEWSER) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing today, and emerged with a number of deals—including one that will marginalize the US dollar in Asia. The countries agreed to promote direct yuan-yen trades, the Wall Street Journal reports; until now, the money has usually been converted to dollars first. Japan will also hold yuan in its typically dollar-dominated foreign-exchange reserves. More»

Reviled Japanese Admiral Hoped to Avoid War With US

Isoroku Yamamoto attacked Pearl Harbor after losing that argument

(NEWSER) - Isoroku Yamamoto was once one of the most reviled men in America, and no wonder: He was the Japanese admiral who devised and carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. But author Ian W. Toll uses the 70th anniversary to point out that before the attack, Yamamoto led the debate within Japan to avoid war with the US. Having traveled here, he knew well the nation's vast reserves and felt that war with America would end in catastrophe, Toll writes in the New York Times . More»

WWII Vets Receive Mystery Cards From China

Befuddled Texas vet gets reporter to snoop online

(NEWSER) - World War II veterans are discovering mysterious postcards from China in their mailboxes. "It takes a strong man to save himself, a great man to save another," read one card, sent to a befuddled vet living near Houston. "Thank you for 1944. From China." 88-year-old veteran Ed Denzler looked into it, contacting his old volunteer unit that fought in Burma—Merrill's Marauders. They said at least four others had received cards from China, source unknown. So Denzler called up the Houston Chronicle . More»

Skull Discovered in Pearl Harbor

Experts certain it's not Hawaiian, may be Japanese

(AP) - Forensic scientists are conducting tests on a skull unearthed at the bottom of Pearl Harbor to determine if it is that of a Japanese pilot who died in the historic attack on Dec. 7, 1941. An excavation crew dredging the harbor recently made the startling discovery; after early analysis, an expert is about "75% sure" that the skull belongs to a Japanese pilot. The items found with the skull, which was determined not to be from a Native Hawaiian, provided some clues: forks, scraps of metal, and a Coca-Cola bottle researchers have determined was from the 1940s. More»

Japanese Supercomputer Now No. 1 in World

Japan knocks China out of top spot

(NEWSER) - Japan is at the top of the computer heap for the first time in seven years, now that Fujitsu Co.’s supercomputer has bested that of a Chinese competitor . The “K Computer,” funded by the Japanese government, is the best-performing machine in the world, capable of handling more than 8 quadrillion (that's 8,000 trillion) calculations per second. Once completed next year, it will be able to perform 10 quadrillion calculations per second, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'Rape of Nanking' Fresh, 70 Years Later