On December 13th this year marked the 87th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre. Due to the recent incidents of Chinese individuals attacking Japanese people with knives, the Japanese Embassy in China had issued a security warning a week prior. On the 13th, Japanese schools in China took measures such as canceling classes or switching to online learning.
The Japanese Embassy in China warned on its official website on December 6th that the 13th needed special attention as anti-Japanese sentiments among Chinese are high. Japanese citizens were urged to be vigilant, avoid traveling alone, especially when with children, respect local Chinese customs, be cautious in public, and not draw attention to their nationality.
Specific safety measures listed by the Japanese Embassy included traveling in groups, being careful with clothing and belongings that may identify them as Japanese, avoiding crowded areas or facilities, and leaving the scene if encountering suspicious individuals. According to the “Sankei Shimbun,” the Japanese government also requested the Chinese government to enhance security measures by the 13th to ensure the safety of Japanese citizens.
On December 13th, seven Japanese schools in various cities in China and Hong Kong canceled classes, with five schools shifting to online teaching. This day in 1937 marks the capture of Nanjing by the Japanese military, leading to a six-week-long massacre, rape, arson, looting, resulting in the death of 300,000 Chinese and atrocities against tens of thousands of women.
Since 2014, the Chinese Communist Party authorities have held annual memorial ceremonies in Nanjing on December 13th. This year, neither the CCP leader Xi Jinping nor other high-ranking officials participated, sparking speculation of an attempt to ease tensions with Japan.
In response to the attacks on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou in June and a student outside a school in Shenzhen in September, the Japanese government urged China to take concrete measures to prevent similar incidents, clarify the truth, and ensure safety. However, Chinese authorities dismissed these incidents as isolated and cautioned against politicizing or exaggerating them.
The incidents sparked mixed reactions in mainland China, with some suggesting they were retribution for past Japanese war crimes or insinuating Japanese involvement to gain sympathy. Others expressed shock and anger, attributing the attacks to long-standing anti-Japanese propaganda in the country.
Noted Chinese-Canadian writer and scholar, Sheng Xue, highlighted the role of CCP propaganda in inciting hatred towards Japan and emphasized the need for a clear policy towards China that does not support the repressive regime but aids in empowering Chinese civil society.
In a similar vein, former Beijing lawyer and Canada Association for Democracy chair Lai Jianping attributed incidents to CCP indoctrination and emphasized the necessity for Western democracies to unite against the CCP to safeguard peace and security for all, including Japan.
In conclusion, the incidents of violence against Japanese citizens in China underscore the deep-seated historical and geopolitical tensions between the two nations, with implications for broader regional security and human rights concerns.