The Ghosts of Nanking
Part two of a Special Multi-part series
about the Forgotten Holocaust of WWII
Part two
By Jesse Horn
Exclusives with Yasuhisa Kawamura, Deputy
Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan,
and Dr. Peter Stanek, President of the Global Alliance for
Preserving the History of WW II in Asia.
12-16-09
In the history of our planet there is
little that can compare to the level of intentional destruction
and loss of human life as that of World War II. Of the 2.3
billion people living on earth in 1937, 60,000,000 of them
would perish by 1945. This would come at a heavy price for
generations of people all across the globe and dramatically
change many aspects of our culture today. Some of the most
difficult elements of this change stem from atrocities
committed by various groups ranging from those lashing out
vindication on societies who oppressed and traumatized them, to
those who sought to unleash their desires of supremacy upon
people who could not stand in defense.
In this continuing special series we are
delving into the many aspects to what has been referred to as
the Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. This culminates from
the abominations inflicted by the Japanese Imperial Army during
the infamous Rape of Nanking, the helpless city that was the
former capital of the Republic of China. The intensity of this
dark event began on December 9, 1937, and slowly started to
subside approximately six weeks later. During that time the
unspeakable events which were inflicted upon the defenseless
citizens were unimaginable. They came in the unbelievable form
of 20-80 thousand rapes, hundreds of thousands of murders, the
desecration of people and bodies, and even cannibalism. Now 72
years and generations later we look to see if there are
answers, not only as to how this event could have happened, but
what if anything has been done about it, and the suffering of a
culture.
There are many who believe that Japanese
leaders have held policies of denial and have refused to
acknowledge responsibility for the crimes against humanity
inflicted by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces. In order
to gain complete understanding of where things currently stand
with the Japanese Government, we contacted Deputy Press
Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr.
Yasuhisa Kawamura.
“For half a century,” explained
Mr. Kawamura from Tokyo, “since 1952 when Japan signed
the San Francisco Peace Treaty, Japan achieved reconciliation,
as a nation, with many countries, including the UK, the
Netherlands and Australia whose scars from the war still run
deep. Japan normalized diplomatic relations with China in
1972 and since then Japanese government and its people have
exerted efforts over the last decades for their reconciliation
with the people. It is disappointing to hear the view
that reconciliation between Japan and those countries has not
been satisfactory. But Japan will continue its efforts
for international reconciliation."
On September 4, 1951, 50 countries sent
delegates to San Francisco to negotiate a treaty (SFPT) with
Japan to settle WW II issues. This became the "San
Francisco Peace Treaty" which was signed on September 8,
1951, by 48 countries.
“The SFPT was controversial from the
very start,” explained Dr. Peter Stanek, President of the
Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WW II in Asia,
“and remains so today. Neither the Republic of
China (Taiwan) nor the People's Republic of China (mainland
China) were invited to the San Francisco Peace Conference, and
neither state was ever party to the SFPT. The Republic of
China (Taiwan) concluded a separate Treaty of Peace with Japan
in 1952, (known as the "Taipei Peace Treaty", TPT)
without representation or participation by the People's
Republic of China (mainland China).” Dr. Stanek continued
by explaining that the Japanese Government had annexed and
occupied Formosa (Taiwan) since 1895 by the terms of the treaty
ending the first Sino Japanese war. In 1910 Japan
invaded, annexed, and occupied Korea. During the Pacific
War, 1931-45, Japan had conscripted native Formosans to serve
in the Japanese Imperial Army, much to their disgust.
“Japan went so far as to move the
bodies and artifacts of Formosans killed in the war to
Japan,” Dr Stanek stated, “where they were placed
in the infamous Japanese military shrine at Yasukuni.
Native Formosans have ever since demanded return of their
remains, demonstrating loudly at Yasukuni, ‘We are not
Japanese.’”
The 1952 TPT, and the 1972 Joint Communique
(JC), restoring diplomatic relations between the Peoples
Republic of China and Japan, and recognizing the Peoples
Republic of China as representing all of China is ultimately in
conflict. Since the 1972 JC is the later agreement, the
1952 TPT was made valid after 1972.
“In any case,” Dr. Stanek
continued, “at the time TPT was signed it had limited
application. As defined in an official exchange document
attached to the Treaty, TPT could only apply to territory
actually controlled by the Republic of China then and in the
future. Therefore TPT has established itself as not applicable
to the People’s Republic of China. Arguing that TPT
speaks for the whole of the Chinese people is factually
incorrect.”
In next week’s continuing coverage of
the 72 Anniversary of the Massacre and Rape of Nanking, we
continue the conversation with Dr. Peter Stanek and Deputy
Press Secretary Yasuhisa Kawamura in an attempt to understand
not only where the Japanese Government feels it has made
reconciliation, and as to where many feel this has come short.
We will learn what the Japanese Government’s official
stance on the event currently is and has been throughout its
leadership, as well as inconsistencies that have led to doubt
about sincerity and acknowledgement. As this six part series
continues bare in mind that those who had to live through this
horror have at this point been under siege for only a week.
There have already been unspeakable events that would
traumatize not only a nation and its people, but the
generations to follow.
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