The Chinese Ministry of Defense lit into new Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada today for revisionist comments made about Japanese actions during the Second World War and her denial of the “killing games” during the Nanjing Massacre.
Inada, a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker and political ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, took office on Thursday, replacing Gen. Nakatani.
After taking up her position as the new defense minister, Inada clarified her position on Japan’s wartime history, further infuriating the Chinese.
In response to a question on whether Inada considered Japan’s assault on Asia during the Second World War an invasion, she simply said, “Whether you would describe Japan’s actions as an invasion depends on one’s point of view.”
Referring to the Nanjing Massacre, during which an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 Chinese citizens were killed, Inada commented, “It’s important for the facts to be looked at objectively.”
Inada claimed that the infamous “killing games,” competitions in which Japanese soldiers would compete to see who could behead 100 civilians first, were fabricated.
“The Japanese Defense Minister has ignored and publicly denied history. This is nothing more than an attempt to beautify a history of aggression and challenge the international order by reviving militarism,” said China’s Ministry of Defense.
Chinese officials said that the inhuman atrocities, such as the bloody “killing games” during the Nanjing Massacre, are “irrefutable and undeniable.”
The Xinhua News Agency reported that during the Japanese army’s occupation of Nanjing, two Japanese officers, Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyoshi Noda held a contest to see who could execute citizens the fastest. It is said that the two officers collectively executed 211 Chinese people.
Inada is known for defending Japan’s wartime atrocities, including the forcing of civilian women in conquered states into sexual slavery as “comfort women” in brothels for Japanese military personnel. She is also a strong supporter of PM Abe’s decision to amend the Japanese constitution to allow for increased militarization.
The Chinese Defense Ministry ended its criticisms of Inada by stating, “Tampering with history will cause us to repeat the mistakes of the past. If Japan continues to deny history, Sino-Japanese relations have no future.”
This bitter back-and-forth over history comes at a time of seriously-strained Sino-Japanese relations characterized by militarization on both sides in response to the assertive and militaristic actions of the other.
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