"Over 10,000 Defeated Soldiers Killed"... Letter Written by Japanese Soldier One Week After Fall of Nanjing

China Releases New Records on Nanjing Massacre for 81st Anniversary of Japan’s Defeat
Includes Letters and Postcards from Japanese Soldiers

On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of Japan's defeat, China has released additional records related to the Nanjing Massacre.

Japanese soldiers entering Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 training prisoners in bayonet fighting and engaging in killing contests.

On August 16, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders held an artifact donation event the previous day, during which it released handwritten letters from Japanese soldiers who invaded China.

The newly disclosed records include a collection of letters written by Morita Ishikawa, a soldier from Japan’s 16th Division, during 1937 to 1939, as well as postcards sent to Japan by Shigemasa Mitsui, a soldier from the 114th Division. According to Xinhua, these records detail the activities of the Japanese military at the time.

In particular, a letter believed to have been written by Morita Ishikawa on December 20, 1937, states, "A few days ago, we killed more than 10,000 defeated soldiers." The letter was dated roughly a week after the fall of Nanjing. These records have been cross-verified with the diary of another soldier from the same unit and are considered to support assertions that the 16th Division of the Japanese army carried out large-scale massacres of Chinese prisoners of war during the Nanjing Massacre.

The postcard sent by Shigemasa Mitsui documents the events of December 12, 1937, describing how his unit attacked the Jinling Armory near Zhonghuamen in Nanjing, capturing numerous Chinese prisoners and weapons at that time.

Survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

Meng Guoxiang, from the China National Institute of Memory and International Peace Research, emphasized, "These artifacts, records, and documentary materials reveal the realities of the atrocities committed by the Japanese military invading China during the Nanjing Massacre and other incidents." He added, "Although these materials come from various sources, when cross-checked, they form irrefutable evidence."

The Memorial Hall stated that, including these materials, it newly collected more than 150 artifacts and over 100 documentary records in the first half of this year. The majority of these records were donated by Chinese youth, who reportedly began collecting commemorative exhibition items from childhood in order to remember history.

The Nanjing Massacre refers to the event from December 1937 to January 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War, in which the Japanese army killed both soldiers and civilians indiscriminately in Nanjing, then the capital of the Nationalist government. China estimates that more than 300,000 people were killed in the massacre.

China has continued to organize and release records related to the Nanjing Massacre, receiving donations or uncovering new materials. Since 2014, China has also elevated Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day (December 13) to a national-level event and holds a national memorial ceremony each year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.