SDHF Newsletter No.201 The Nanjing Incident-Japanese eyewitness 7

The Nanjing Incident: Japanese Eyewitness Accounts
-Testimony from 48 Japanese Who Were There-
By Ara Ken’ichi
No. 7: Chapter 2 Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers
1. The Army, 25)～28)

February 13, 2018

We present No. 6 in this series, which contains Chapter 2: Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers, 1. The Army, 25) – 28).
Mr. Okada, as a staff of Military Affairs Section of the Ministry of Army, was sent to Tokyo University to study economics. But shortly after he entered the University the China Incident broke out, and therefore he had to stop the study at the University and was transferred to the Cabinet Planning Board for research and planning of Chinese economy development. On December 24, 1937 he entered in Nanjing for inspection. He drove around Nanjing with his senior Major Sakata, who was Head of Special Duty Organization. The city was rather calm and he saw Chinese civilians opened installment shops for business. He neither saw dead bodies nor heard “massacre”.
At the entrance of the refugee zone, he was received by a Chinese with smile, who he knew when he stayed in Nanjing. He concludes that Japan lost propaganda war, that’s all about the Nanjing Incident.
Mr. Otsuki visited Nanjing at the end of December, 1937 as a staff of Military Affairs Section to grasp the situation in Nanjing and next year he was in Nanjing as a staff officer of Central China Expeditionary Army. He says a story of “massacre” was never talked about among the staff and other people he met. He concludes the “massacre” is a pure lie.
Mr. Mikuni entered in Nanjing January 1937 as Commander of 22nd Field Artillery Regiment. Because of illness he entered in Nanjing after the occupation. So he collected information from his subordinates and made discussions with Division Headquarters persons. He never heard a word “massacre” then. He later was assigned to Head of Special Duty Organization in Nanjing. He had to contact with persons of Chinese Restoration Government. He met frequently with Premier Liang Hongzhi. But he never heard the Incident from him.

URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/1126/
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Ara-Nanjing-7.pdf

Questions are welcome.

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