"Never Forget Nanjing" testimony meeting held in Japan's Osaka

A testimony meeting entitled "Never Forget Nanjing" was held Saturday in Japan's Osaka, conveying truth about the Nanjing Massacre in 1937 and reminding people to never forget the history.

Chen Deshou, one of the few living survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, shared his memory of the massacre with Japanese residents at Saturday's testimony meeting.

Chen, 83 years old, was a little boy when the Nanjing city was invaded by Japanese army in December 1937. "The Japanese army set fire all over the city. My father went out to help the neighbors put out fire, but he never came back," he recalled.

A few days later, acquaintances told the family that Chen's father had been captured and brutally killed by Japanese soldiers with bayonets. Two neighbors who had been with him were also killed, one stabbed to death and the other beheaded.

The Japanese soldiers also broke into Chen's home. "We want girls," they demanded, and stabbed Chen's 26-year-old aunt to death when she resisted their raping.

"Such history shall not be forgotten, even though it is peace time now. Japanese people were also victims of war. We shall cherish peace and never let wars happen again." he said.

When Chen finished telling his experience, attendants of the meeting stood up and mourned in silence for the victims of Nanjing Massacre.

"The truth of Nanjing Massacre is undeniable. The tragedies shall never be repeated," said Hiroshi Tanaka, a Japanese historian who gave a speech entitled "No More Hiroshima, No More Nanjing" after Chen's testimony.

It has been an annual tradition since 1996 for Osaka civil groups to hold a testimony meeting in December to memorize the Nanjing Massacre. More than 100 Japanese residents attended the testimony meeting this year. Endit