The Truth about Nanjing
Encyclopedia
is a forthcoming film by Japanese
filmmaker about the 1937 Nanking Massacre
.
The film, backed by nationalistic figures including Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara
and public donation, is intended to expose alleged propaganda aspects of the Nanking Massacre
. Less than a month before the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre, the director said in an interview that Japanese war criminals were martyr
s who were made into scapegoats for war crime
s as Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross in order to bear the sin
s of the world, and they died bearing all of old Japan's good and bad parts. He also claimed that the Nanjing Massacre was a politically motivated frame-up by China and the numerous Western eyewitnesses, whose accounts form the basis of the historical understanding of the Nanjing Massacre. These accounts are, according to the filmmakers, espionage
activities.
Satoru said that the project is meant to counter the film Nanking
, a 2007 American documentary
, which he believes is "based on fabrications and gives a false impression" and which he perceives to be a "setup by China to control intelligence".
This part shows the last day of the seven people who were condemned to death in 1948 by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East
and executed on 23 December 1948 at Sugamo Prison
, Tokyo.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
filmmaker about the 1937 Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
.
The film, backed by nationalistic figures including Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara
is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
and public donation, is intended to expose alleged propaganda aspects of the Nanking Massacre
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
. Less than a month before the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre, the director said in an interview that Japanese war criminals were martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s who were made into scapegoats for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s as Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross in order to bear the sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s of the world, and they died bearing all of old Japan's good and bad parts. He also claimed that the Nanjing Massacre was a politically motivated frame-up by China and the numerous Western eyewitnesses, whose accounts form the basis of the historical understanding of the Nanjing Massacre. These accounts are, according to the filmmakers, espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
activities.
Satoru said that the project is meant to counter the film Nanking
Nanking (film)
Nanking is a 2007 film about the 1937 Nanking Massacre committed by the Japanese army in the former capital city Nanjing, China. The film draws on letters and diaries from the era as well as archive footage and interviews with surviving victims and perpetrators of the massacre...
, a 2007 American documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, which he believes is "based on fabrications and gives a false impression" and which he perceives to be a "setup by China to control intelligence".
Plot
The movie is planned to be a three-part series.- First part "Seven condemned criminals" (The theme is Class A war criminals.)
This part shows the last day of the seven people who were condemned to death in 1948 by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East
International Military Tribunal for the Far East
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East , also known as the Tokyo Trials, the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, or simply the Tribunal, was convened on April 29, 1946, to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for three types of crimes: "Class A" crimes were reserved for those who...
and executed on 23 December 1948 at Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison
Sugamo Prison was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan-History:...
, Tokyo.
- Second part is for verification. (Documentary)
- Third part is for America. (Drama)
Cast
Cast of the first part- Kenkichi Hamahata - Iwane MatsuiIwane Matsuiwas a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary forces sent to China in World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for responsibility over the Nanking Massacre.-Early life...
- Jun Fujimaki - Hideki TōjōHideki TōjōHideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944...
- Minori Terada - Kōki HirotaKoki Hirotawas a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937.-Early life:Hirota was born in what is now part of Chūō-ku, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father was a stonemason, and he was adopted into the Hirota family. After attending...
- Shōhei Yamada - Seishirō Itagaki
- Kuniyasu Atsumi - Kenji DoiharaKenji Doiharawas a general in the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria for which he earned fame taking the nickname 'Lawrence of Manchuria', a reference to the Lawrence of Arabia....
- Baiken Jukkanji - Akira MutōAkira Muto- Notes :...
- Akira KuboAkira KuboAkira Kubo is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in 75 films since 1952. He starred in the film Arashi, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Arashi...
- Heitarō Kimura - Kan MikamiKan Mikamiis a Japanese folk singer-songwriter. His music, heavily influenced by American blues, was popular in Japan in the 1970s. He re-wrote the lyric of the song "Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" for his cover version in 1972...
- Shinshō Hanayama, Chaplain of Sugamo PrisonSugamo PrisonSugamo Prison was located in the district of Ikebukuro, which is now part of the Toshima ward of Tokyo, Japan-History:... - Kyōko Kamimura - Fumiko Matsui, wife of Iwane MatsuiIwane Matsuiwas a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary forces sent to China in World War II. He was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by hanging by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for responsibility over the Nanking Massacre.-Early life...
- Setsuko KarasumaSetsuko Karasumais an actress and model born on 3 February 1955 in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. She attended Chukyo University, but left before finishing. She is employed by the From First Production talent agency. Karasuma made her debut as a Clarion Girl in 1980, moving quickly into the gravure idol scene...
- Shizuko Hirota, wife of Kōki HirotaKoki Hirotawas a Japanese diplomat, politician and the 32nd Prime Minister of Japan from March 9, 1936 to February 2, 1937.-Early life:Hirota was born in what is now part of Chūō-ku, Fukuoka city, Fukuoka Prefecture. His father was a stonemason, and he was adopted into the Hirota family. After attending...
See also
- Nanking MassacreNanking MassacreThe Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
- Nanking Massacre controversy and denialNanking Massacre controversy and denialThe Nanking Massacre, in which Imperial Japanese forces murdered hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians during the Second Sino-Japanese War, is a highly controversial episode in Sino-Japanese relations...
- Japanese war crimesJapanese war crimesJapanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
- The Rape of NankingThe Rape of Nanking (book)The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II is a bestselling 1997 non-fiction book written by Iris Chang about the 1937–1938 Nanking Massacre, the massacre and atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army after it captured Nanjing, then capital of China, during the Second...
, written by Iris ChangIris ChangIris Shun-Ru Chang was an American historian and journalist. She is best known for her best-selling 1997 account of the Nanking Massacre, The Rape of Nanking. She committed suicide on November 9, 2004... - Japanese nationalismJapanese nationalismencompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Japanese people over the last two centuries regarding their native country, its cultural nature, political form and historical destiny...
- Japanese militarismJapanese militarismrefers to the ideology in the Empire of Japan that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation.-Rise of militarism :...
- Japanese right-wingUyoku dantaiUyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups.In 1996, the National Police Agency estimated that there are over 1000 right wing groups in Japan with about 100,000 members in total.-Tennō period:...
External links
'Nanking No Shinjitsu' official website- 'Nanking No Shinjitsu' official website in English
- "Film director brands Nanjing massacre a myth." Stuff.co.nzStuff.co.nzStuff.co.nz is a New Zealand news website owned and operated by Fairfax New Zealand, a subsidiary of the Australian company Fairfax Media. Stuff hosts the websites for Fairfax's New Zealand newspapers, including the country's second and third highest circulation daily newspapers The Dominion Post...
. Last updated January 1, 2009.