China discloses records on atrocities written by Japanese soldiers

"I felt deeply sorry for children, but I had to kill them, crying with tears in my eyes."

China has released a string of records that demonstrate atrocities committed by the Japanese military during the Sino-China War, and has thus begun a campaign to drum up support for its campaign to block Japan’s push for new militarism. The Guangming Daily, which analyzed letters written by Japanese soldiers that were publicized recently by the Jilin provincial archives, said on Tuesday that even Japanese people could not dare to open their eyes to see gruesome atrocities they committed.

A Japanese solider who was deployed in the Huazhong Region (three provinces including Henan, Hunan, and Hebei) mentioned the gruesome situation of massacre in a letter to his wife dated March 12, 1938. He wrote, “There are some 10,000 scattered enemy soldiers around this area, and people we feel truly sorry for are ordinary citizens in the region,” adding, “Since we were ordered to kill all (civilians), we often had to kill children despite their piteous situation, crying with tears in our eyes.”

In a letter to his wife dated June 8 in the same year, a solider with a Japanese military unit in Shenyang, Liaoning Province said, “Rapes occur every day.” He said, “Soldiers rape them if they are judged to be Manchurian women after hearing their accent. Many of the women were raped by hundreds of soldiers.”

The letters were excerpts from the “monthly report of inspected post mails,” which were left by Japanese soldiers. The report is a monthly publication of contents from letters containing problematic information after checking of letters that were exchanged by its soldiers in regions occupied by Japan and its own citizens. The Japanese military discarded letters containing problematic messages after inspection to prevent revelation of atrocities committed by the Japanese military. There were many different materials that demonstrated cruelty by Japanese military, but it is quite unusual that records on atrocities that were written by Japanese people themselves have been made public.

The monthly report of inspected post mails, which has been released by the Jilin provincial archives, amounts to a total of 17,442 pages compiled in 217 books. Of this, 160 books can be used in research through restoration of the records. Earlier on Friday last week, the Jilin provincial archives disclosed documents on conscription of comfort women by the Japanese military deployed in China’s Guangdong region, and materials on experiment to develop biological weapons conducted by Japan’s Unit 731, pressuring Japan that has failed to admit to atrocities. Since the Jilin provincial archives are currently deciphering and analyzing materials left by Japanese troops, additional revelations will likely be made as well.