Convergence or Divergence?

Convergence or Divergence? Recent Historical Writings on the Rape of Nanjing by: Daqing Yang

The writings that this article was based on were: 1. Nanjing Jiken (The Nanjing Incident) - Kashara Tokushi 2. Nanjing Datusha (The Nanjing Massacre) -Sun Zhaiwei 3. The Rape of Nanking -Iris Chang

Rape of Nanjing: Japanese troops in Nanjing engaged in organized and wholesale murder, committed indiscriminate killing, and rape as well as looting and destruction.

There were two trials held to figure out what should be done about the incident, one was held in Tokyo and one was Held in Nanjing.

Tokyo Trial figures: 200,000 Chinese civilians and POWs were believed to have been murdered in the Nanjing area over a six week period in the winter of 1937-38. Approximately 20,000 cases of rape occurred within the city alone.

Nanjing Trial figures: the death toll totaled 300,000 and up. A higher death toll than the Tokyo trial.

Both trials were almost entirely based on western and chinese records and testimonies. These verdicts would serve as a surrogate history of the event for decades to come.

20 years later in 1967 a Japanese historian, Hora Tomio, published the first historical study of this infamous incident. Debates errupted over whether the incident actually happened or if it was a fabrication to shame the Japanese. The debates raged from the 1970's to 1989 and were divided into two factions the massacre faction and the illusion faction. The massacre faction held firmly to the belief that the incident actually happened. The illusion faction did not believe that the incident happened or that it could have ever happened.

New sources based on official military histories surfaced and the debates quieted down.

--Kang Youwei 20:22, 10 November 2011 (UTC)