Japanese donates new evidence of Nanjing Massacre

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A retired teacher from Japan donated 14 documents related to the Nanjing Massacre to China's Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders on Friday.

Yosuke Iwamatsu, the donor, is from Saga Prefecture in Japan. He bought the documents from a local bookstore in Karatsu in 2007. Historians have confirmed the authenticity of the files.

The documents are original files including operation plans, words of command, defense specifications and permits issued to foreign priests. The operation order was signed by Tang Sheng-chih, a Kuomingtang (KMT) commanding officer in charge of defending Nanjing at the time of the Japanese invasion of the city.

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In the file, on December 11, 1937, Tang ordered troops to defend Nanjing and vowed that "anyone who gives up fighting will be severely punished."

However, just one day later, KMT leader Chiang Kai-shek ordered all troops stationed in Nanjing to retreat, creating chaos. Most of the soldiers were slaughtered by Japanese troops. The next day on December 13, Nanjing was occupied and the six-week massacre of residents in the city began.

Records show more than 300,000 people - not only disarmed soldiers but also civilians - were brutally murdered and thousands of women raped.

Since 2014, December 13 has been marked as the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims.

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(Source: Xinhua)