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Commentary: UNESCO's listing of Nanjing Massacre helps to preserve crucial human memory

Xinhua, October 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

Nearly 80 years after the Nanjing (Nanking) Massacre, one of the darkest moments in human history, records of the atrocities have been added on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register on Friday.

This is an important move of the UN scientific and cultural body as it helps to preserve a crucial episode of human memory and refute the lies of Japanese far-rightists.

Noting that the decision represents global recognition of the carnage, Zhu Chengshan, curator of the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, said "from now on, any act in denial (of the massacre) will be futile."

For many years, some Japanese conservatives and nationalists have been denying the atrocities and fabricating ludicrous narratives on the massacre. Even now, the Japanese government still prefers the term "incident" to massacre in reference to the untold crimes of the Japanese army in Nanking, China's capital city at the time.

On Saturday, after the inscription was announced, the Japanese Foreign Ministry accused UNESCO of being unfair and politicized on the matter.

Such accusation is obviously a desperate Hail Mary for the nationalist government of Japan to save face, avoid embarrassment, and is contradictory to all the compelling facts.

UNESCO's decision came after a two-year process where experts rigorously studied the nominations with an unbiased attitude.

Also, the documents filed by China are more than convincing, with detailed interviews with several victims, a film footage from John Magee -- an American priest, and photos taken by the Japanese soldiers depicting their heinous crimes of killing civilians and raping women.

Supporting and confirming each other, the documents presented by China can also be proved by numerous previous evidence and recordings, such as John Rabe's diaries.

The Japanese far-rightists can deny the facts as they want, but now the rest of the world is having a clearer picture on what really happened in Nanking in December 1937.

Moreover, the inscription of the Nanjing Massacre is more than refutation of the absurd allegations of some Japanese nationalists. It also is about preserving a crucial piece of collective memory of mankind.

History consists of memories and important memories have shaping power. The memory of the Nanjing Massacre does not mean that the Chinese people will seek revenge. It is simply because the memory is too important to be lost. Endi