Abstract
How is the same episode of history being taught in two countries? We asked
CREDIT: Aron Vellekoop Len/Getty
China
China marked the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre on 13 December 2017. On that day in 1937, Japanese military troops invaded Nanjing, killing an estimated 300,000 people. We asked young people in both Japan and China the same set of questions to see differences in history teaching.
Matthew Xia, 26
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
Yes, we covered the Nanjing Massacre in both middle and high school.
How was it referred to?
It was referred to as the Nanjing Massacre. It was definitely one of the most anticipated chapters because, as students, we heard about it before and wanted to know all the details. I felt a bit daunted as it was so terrifying and involved a lot of killing.
Who was involved / who was at fault?
Japan and China were involved. Japan was absolutely in the wrong for murdering over 300,000 Chinese people and for outrageous crimes, such as rape. I remember there were pictures of the Japanese army and generals in our course book. We would draw them into ugly caricatures and make fun of them.
Do you think you learnt the whole story?
We might have covered 80% of the whole story, but our books may have dodged some facts or events related to the massacre. For example, I doubt that the motivation of the Japanese for the rape of Nanjing was… their beastly nature. I found it interesting that the Japanese are always portrayed as perverts or beasts in our textbooks but, in fact, most (modern) Japanese people are nice and polite.
Jasmine Hong, 22
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
Yes, I did. It’s a must-learn in modern Chinese history. Our teachers taught us: “Do not forget the shame so as to revive our nation.” The Nanjing Massacre constitutes an important part of our national identity.
How was it referred to?
Massacre in general, including rape, killing, arson and so on.
Who was involved / who was at fault?
Japanese. Unlike some other historical incidents that may have different perspectives, the Nanjing Massacre was 100% caused by the Japanese.
Do you think you learnt the whole story?
It’s possible it wasn’t the full extent. In my understanding, the powerful and rich have the privilege to lie. In this case, the Chinese didn’t lie. I believe [the Chinese] about everything that happened during the Nanjing Massacre, including the rape and violence. What’s planted deeply in my mind are two images from our textbooks. One was an old newspaper from back then that described a contest to kill 100 people using a sword. The horrifying descriptions continued to haunt me for years. Another image that shocked me was a Japanese soldier piercing a baby.
D.C. Hu, 23
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
Yes, I remember learning it when I was younger, and also in high school. We focused especially on the number of people who died.
How was it referred to?
The Nanjing Massacre.
Who was involved / who was at fault?
Undoubtedly the Japanese were at fault in killing over 300,000 Chinese people brutally.
Do you think you learnt the whole story?
Maybe there was something missed. But we know the end results of what happened. Our teacher always said that Japan might forget, but we won’t. This is part of China’s modern history.
Japan
Yukiko Shinozaki, 22
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
Yes, we learned that Chinese citizens and soldiers disguised as ordinary people were massacred by the Japanese army, similar to what the Nazis did during the Holocaust.
What was the title?
I forget. It was either the Nanjing Massacre or the Nanjing Incident.
Who was at fault?
The old Japanese army.
Do you think you learnt the whole story?
Yoichiro Mikami, 20
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
We studied it in our world history class. I was taught that over 300,000 Chinese people were killed, but this was without any academic verification.
What was the title?
The Nanjing Massacre by the Japanese army.
Who was at fault?
In our class, the Japanese army and government were condemned.
Do you think you learnt the whole story?
Not at all. I believe Japanese textbooks are self-destructive and overwhelmed by leftist ideology. Supposed facts about Nanjing are accepted by Japanese educational institutions because of Chinese propaganda.
Tomi Nakamura, 17
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
We did, but only for about 15 minutes. There were around five lines in the book and a picture of the Japanese army.
What was the title?
A Massacre in Nanjing.
Who was at fault?
I believe it was the Kwantung [Imperial Japanese] army.
Do you think you got to learn the whole story?
I felt that only a small part of the story was written in our textbooks. Also, I think there’s a difference between what’s being taught in China and what we learn in Japan.
YUKA, 21
Did you learn about Nanjing at school?
Yes, I remember studying it at junior high school. We were taught that the Japanese army captured Nanjing, killing many people. It was only one lesson.
What was the title?
The Nanjing Incident, maybe.
Who was at fault?
The teacher said the Japanese army had behaved badly. There was also something about the [Chinese] military leader Chiang Kai-shek, though I don’t remember well.
Do you think you got to learn the whole story?
We didn’t study it deeply. I’ve read about people denying that it happened, but I don’t know why.
Listening to these students, it’s clear they were taught about Nanjing, but not in great detail. That doesn’t necessarily mean teachers are trying to avoid the issue. The history curriculum in Japan covers many different eras and the focus is on memorising important dates rather than engaging in debate. A political dispute over which textbooks should include Nanjing, however, continues to rumble on in Japan.