SDHF Newsletter No.197 The Nanjing Incident-Japanese eyewitness 6

The Nanjing Incident: Japanese Eyewitness Accounts
-Testimony from 48 Japanese Who Were There-
By Ara Ken’ichi
No. 6: Chapter 2 Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers
1. The Army, 22)～24)

January 16, 2018

We present No. 6 in this series, which contains Chapter 2: Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers, 1. The Army, 22) – 24).
Mr. Okada Takashi’s (岡田尚) father, Aritami (有民), was one of the volunteers who assisted Chinese revolution from Meiji period to early Showa period. When Lieutenant General Matsui Iwane was a commander of the Taiwan Army of Japan, Mr. Okada Aritami was involved with the Fujian Provincial People’s Government together with Matsui. So, General Matsui and Aritami had a very close relationship. Once General Matsui was assigned Commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, he asked Mr. Okada to become a special assistant to help him. Mr. Okada was fluent in the Shanghai dialect and knew many key persons in China.
Mr. Okada said there might have been disorder in Nanjing, as an inevitable part of war, but there were no incidents that could be called a “massacre”. He regrets and still cannot understand why Tang Shegzhi, commander in chief of the Nanjing Garrison, did not accept General Matsui’s call for surrender.
Colonel Tanida Isamu (谷田勇) belonged to the Imperial Way Faction. There was a rumor that when the 10th Army landed at Hangzhou Bay, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Yanagawa Heisuke told soldiers that even the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees, all were enemies…. Army Commander Yanagawa also belonged to the Imperial Way Faction. Colonel Tanida completely refuted this rumor. He said the Imperial Way Faction had a more friendly attitude to China than that of the rival Control Faction. During the First Shanghai-Incident, the Japanese Army destroyed the Chinese Army around Shanghai and returned to Japan, without leaving any soldiers there. During the “Within the Great Wall” Operation, the Japanese Army advanced to a location within hailing distance of Beijing, but concluded a cease-fire in Tanggu and withdrew to the Great Wall. These two operations were during the term of Army Minister Araki Sadao of the Imperial Way Faction. “So, it’s unimaginable that Lieutenant General Yanagawa, a member of the Imperial Way Faction, could have said such words,” Mr. Tanida said.
Captain Kaneko was in charge of supply and guarding rear areas. He said that he entered Nanjing on either the 13th or 14th, but saw neither saw no corpse nor heard any shooting. Since he was to go on to Hangzhou, he stayed in Nanjing for only one or two nights. So, he had no clear memory about what occurred inside Nanjing. No memory, meaning nothing extraordinary happened. He never heard of a “Nanjing Incident” until the Tokyo Trial (IMTEFE) and was totally surprised when he did.

URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/1110/
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Ara-Nanjing-6.pdf

Questions are welcome.

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman
for KASE Hideaki, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact