China marks 84th anniversary of Nanking massacre in WWII; PLA pays tribute to departed

China, on Monday, observed the 84th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre carried out by Japanese troops during their aggressive northward accession preceding World War II. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) marched past the memorial site, holding large funeral wreaths, as a sign of homage to the disarmed Chinese soldiers martyred during the massacre. As per Chinese records, nearly 3,00,000 disarmed soldiers and civilians died in the events I'd December 1937 when Japan attacked the former capital of China (now Nanjing), Associated Press reported.

The memorial service was addressed by Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan. Additionally, troops, students and around 3,000 attendees stood at two minutes rigid silence with a respect to the departed souls. "The ceremony aimed to showcase our lofty commitment to a peaceful development path," the Associated Press quoted Sun, as saying. She also added that the 84th anniversary of the massacre marked a "new chapter" of China's future.

In 2014, the top legislature of China decided  December 13 to be marked as the national day of remembrance for the Nanking Massacre victims. Among the attendees of Monday's event were 61 survivors, who still recall the harrowing instances from the time. Meanwhile, China has often criticised Japan for its aggressive campaign across Asia in the first half of the 20th century fuelling the Sino-Japanese War, which broke out after Beijing asserted full restraint against the expansion. 

On December 8, as the US marked the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbour attack, Hina lambasted the visit of Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine. Calling it an "intentional provocation", Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian, had said that Japan is "far from learning lessons." However, as per AP, the criticisms come even though relations between Beijing and Tokyo are currently stable, despite China's major fallback from Japan's major ally the US. On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-led aggressions along the South and southeast China sea have also remained a cause for concern along with military harassment of Taiwan.

Nanking Massacre

The Nanking Massacre is a series of devastating events like mass killings, violating Chinese citizens and capitulation of soldiers by the Japanese Imperial Army after it occupied the former capital of China, Nanking (now Nanjing) on December 13, 1937. According to an international tribunal report from 1946, cited by AP, at least 2,00,000 civilians were killed by Japanese troops in weeklong ravaging acts of murder, rape, looting and explosions. As per Britannica, the destruction of Nanking (capital of Nationalist China from 1928-1937) was ordered by then-commander of Japanese Central China Front Army, Matsui Iwane. Following his orders, soldiers burnt down houses, raped thousands and carried out mass executions. However, following the end of WWII, Iwane was found guilty of participating in war crimes and executed.

(With inputs from AP/PTI)

(Image: AP)