Many Chinese on Wednesday mourned the death?of Japanese
veteran Shiro Azuma, saying that it was a loss for those who
safeguard friendly ties between the two nations. ?
Azuma died of cancer at the age of 93 in Kyoto on
Tuesday.
?
He?served in the Japanese army during the notorious Nanjing
Massacre in 1937, and?50 years later he published his wartime
diary to reveal the atrocities committed by Japanese troops in the
holocaust. ?
Invading Japanese troops occupied Nanjing on December 13, 1937
and launched a six-week massacre. Historical records show that more
than 300,000 Chinese people, not only disarmed soldiers but also
civilians, were slaughtered. ?
After the war, Azuma lamented his actions in the war and made
public the truth of Nanjing Massacre at various rallies in his
country. ?
He also offered sincere apology and showed deep remorse in a
special trip to Nanjing in 1987. ?
However, Azuma had suffered abuse and threats from right-wing
Japanese groups since his diary was published. ?
Accused by right-wing politicians of lying, Azuma was brought to
court in 1993 and lost. In 2000, the Japanese Supreme Court denied
Azuma's appeal, in which he sought to acknowledge the history of
the invasion of China. ?
"The death of Azuma is a loss for those Japanese people who dare
to acknowledge the truth of history and a loss for all righteous
people who are safeguarding the friendly ties between China and
Japan," said Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Memorial Hall of
the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
?
"He who respects history will be respected by history," Zhu
said. ?
Jiang Fugen, 77, a survivor?of the Nanjing Massacre, told
Xinhua that he had thought in the past that Azuma was just playing
a "show" by coming to Nanjing and offering apologies.
"But he came here one time after another against all
difficulties to show his remorse and stuck to fighting the Japanese
right-wingers in court. I was deeply touched by his spirit and
forgave him from the bottom of my heart," he said. ?
After the war, Azuma had visited Nanjing in 1987, 1994, 1997 and
1998 to speak about the Nanjing Massacre and show his remorse for
war atrocities.
His diary was also published in Chinese. ?
Together with?Nanjing's Memorial Hall and a Japan-based
committee, Azuma collected evidence to prove the truth of his
diary, denouncing Japanese right-wing activists who attempted to
deny the slaughter.
?
Jing Shenghong, a history professor of Nanjing Normal
University who had much contact with Azuma, said, "He was a
warrior fighting for justice; he was a sincere friend to Chinese
people; and he stood for the Japanese mainstream in respect of the
attitude toward history." ?
Relations between China and Japan reached a nadir since the
bilateral ties were normalized in 1972, diplomatic observers said.
?
The two?neighboring countries?experienced a chill in
relations in 2005 due to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi's controversial visits to Yasukuni Shrine where 14 WWII
Class-A?war criminals are honored along with about 2 million
other war dead, the publishing of Japanese history textbooks that
gloss over its wartime atrocities, and Japan's unilateral oil field
exploration, observers said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2006)