Nanjing Massacre: Japanese broadcaster NTV airs documentary on tragedy

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In Japan, a forty-five-minute documentary has been aired, that revisits the Nanjing Massacre. The story, recreated by Japanese broadcaster NTV. It includes animation and photos, and took four years to complete. Sun Tianyuan has more.

History rarely lies.

This is a documentary about the Nanjing Massacre, broadcast on Monday night by Japan's NTV. It took the production team nearly four years to collect basic evidence from China and Japan.

The forty-five-minute documentary uses facts to denounce attempts by revisionists to distort history. Some in Japan have denied that the Nanjing Massacre ever even occurred.

Going back to those years, the story begins from what's called the Torpedo Camp.

SECOND LIEUTENANT 4TH SQUADRON, 65TH UNION, INFANTRY "The soldiers raked the crowd with machine gun fire. Later on, the gunshots were so loud that it made my ears tingle. I couldn't hear anything. It was astonishing."

The first part of the documentary recreates some of the mass-killing scenes through animation. In addition, it backs up the story by providing photos of the soldiers' diaries and testimonies. The second part focuses on testimonies, and denies any claims that attempt to distort and erase the history.

The first claim accuses captured Chinese of trying to use weapons to regain control. But testimony provided by soldiers suggests otherwise. They say those who were captured endured body searches, and weapons found at the scene were immediately destroyed.

Netizens have taken to social media to praise NTV.

One says, "Well done, NTV! Japan needs people who can face history. I wish there were more people and organizations like this!" Another person shares, "It takes courage to provide evidence of this historical misconduct." One also says, "That's pretty good. It is very brave to face the historical mistake."

The second claim is about Japan's release of those who they captured. While the captured were crossing the Yangtze River, shots were fired. Japanese soldiers say they shot at the crowd for self-defense. However, the claim is not backed by the diary of a captain of the 65th union, or by other soldiers.

The captain was not even present when the mass killing took place, which is in conflict with other reports.

NTV, which owns the production team, is a private enterprise. The newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun is the largest shareholder of the television station. The documentary will be replayed at midnight on Sunday.

STY, CGTN.