The Forgotton Holocaust

        Have you ever dreamed of witnessing thousands of citizens being murdered and raped in front of your own eyes? Neither did the Chinese victims in Nanking. While the Nanking massacre was occurring, during WWII, many gruesome atrocities were committed within six weeks, by the Japanese. This became known as the “Six Weeks of Terror”. When this ended, many innocent civilians gained internal and external scars, a solution to this would be to come to terms or the Japanese apologizes for the horrible mistake they made.


Defining the Problem
         Nanking, located in China, experienced brutal rapes and murders. During WWII, for six weeks, many inhumane atrocities were committed. This period was known as the “Six Weeks of Terror”.
         For Asians, WWII began in 1931. The Japanese military leaders viewed China as the main outlet for their expansionist ideas, Emperor Hirohito made all the decisions to invade China in 1937, Prince Asaka ordered to kill all captives held in China (The Nanking Massacre). … Over the six weeks, Iris Chang described only a fraction of the atrocities committed by the Japanese, in “The Rape of Nanking”. Data says, 155,000 bodies were buried, 150,000 bodies were found, the women raped in Nanking ranged from 20,000 to 80,000 (Gendercide 4).
         

         The Japanese had horrifying ways of showing their entertainment, an example of this is their most brutal; the impalement of vaginas. On the streets of Nanking, women laid dead with their legs spread open, their orifices pierced by wooden sticks, rods, weeds, beer bottles, golf sticks. One woman, after being raped, had a firecracker planted in her vagina and the Japanese laughed wickedly when she blew to pieces (Chang 95).
The Japanese raped old and young women, women who were pregnant, in labor, or had just given birth a few days earlier. A Chinese woman was nine months pregnant when she was raped. She not only suffered still birth but a complete mental collapse. Some Japanese even cut open the bellies of pregnant women and rip out the fetuses as amusement (Chang 91).
         The Japanese even disemboweled, decapitated, and dismembered victims. They nailed them to wooden boards and ran them over with tanks, crucified them to trees and electrical posts, then cut strips of flesh from them and used them for bayonet practice. Their eyes were gouged out; ears and noses cut off, and then set to fire. One group of Chinese was stripped naked and tied to doors and walls of schools; then stabbed, using needles with handles. They were stabbed in their eyes, mouth, and throat. The Japanese also forced a group of Chinese to dig their grave, the second was to bury the first group then dig their grave, and the third buried them etc. Some victims were partially buried so they could be hacked to pieces, or ran over by horses and tanks (Chang 87). Chinese victims were also buried waist deep in the ground, and then they were torn apart by bloodthirsty, German Sheppard’s. The dogs ripped apart one man’s stomach and dragged his intestines across the land. The Sheppard’s also bit the sensitive areas of men (Chang 88).
         The Japanese also broke into a store owned by a commoner; they tore his clothes over and dragged him outside, then poured Nitric Acid from the top of his head, they laughed while watching him scream in terror and pain while his body eroded away (Killing Games).
         The Japanese also made their victims strip and dive into the water to go “fishing”. Sometimes the Japanese would shoot or throw grenades at them creating a firework display of flesh and blood (Chang 88). Other tan making the Chinese jump and freeze for their soon death, they were also burned alive. The Japanese gathered a large amount of people and covered them in gasoline. Then they either set them to fire or shot them one by one. Others were tied together in a group, containing no more than 2-3 people and thrown in to a bomb fire Chang 87).
         The Japanese created horrid memories to the Chinese, using rape, live burials, death by fire, ice, dogs etc. These gruesome things cannot be accepted. Still to this day, the Japanese deny it, and the Chinese despise them.
         A survivor of the Nanking Massacre stated “‘In spite of the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers against my family, I am not seeking revenge, and do not hold any animosity against the Japanese people… I tell my three children and nine grandchildren that they must not hate but they must never forget this part of history.’”(qtd by Chu-Yeh Chang)


Possible Solutions
         There are very few possible solutions to this time in history. The first solution would be for Japan and China to come to terms, have the person(s) responsible for the Japanese solders’ commands, and have them confront the survivors.
         Another solution could be too have the Japanese admit to the crime and have the Japanese solders apologize and China accepts their apology and they make sure not to let this happen in the future.


The Best Solution
         The first solution is the best one. By having the Japanese soldiers and the person in command at the time apologize and realize the crimes and harm they ordered, and committed, they could really feel guilty at what they forced. The Chinese survivors would be able to try and forgive them, after telling them their stories, and they can just silently support each other. This can create a certain future for them and help us not have thousands killed within a short time period. What Chu-Yeh Chang spoke about, “must not hate but they must never forget” the Chinese survivors should all think of it that way, hearing each other’s stories can make a big change in their point of view.  This can change the decision to forgive…
                   The second solution is not a very good choice; the Japanese could just say sorry blankly and not have the survivors really tell them what their experiences were, and felt like. This could create a gap and something could go wrong and even worse things could happen in the future.
         The Japanese did commit very cruel atrocities such as rape and death by fire, these are still a fraction of what happened. The Chinese should consider listening to everyone who participated in this horrid massacre, and come to terms, which is the best solution.



Work Cited
Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. New 
York: Penguin (non-classics), 1998. Print.
"Gendercide Watch: The Nanjing Massacre." Gendercide Watch-main Page. 99-
02. Web.
"Japanese Killing Games." Century of China. Web. 01 Mar. 2010.
"Story of Chu-Yeh Chang - A Survivor of Nanking Massacre." New Jersey   
Alliance for Learning and Preserving the History of World War II in Asia. Web. 01 Mar. 2010.