'We were never friends': A massacre on the eve of WW2 still haunts China-Japan relations

The Nanjing Massacre is one of the most tragic events in the history between China and Japan. In late 1937, the Japanese army entered Nanjing, which was then the capital of China, and for six weeks, they carried out a brutal campaign. It is estimated that over 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers were killed, and around 20,000 women were raped. This event is remembered every year in China and is considered a deep wound that still affects relations between the two countries.

Recently, a Japanese vlogger named Hayato Kato, who lives in China, made a video about a movie he watched called 'Dead To Rights' or 'Nanjing Photo Studio. ' The film tells the story of Chinese civilians hiding from Japanese soldiers in a photo studio. The movie has become very popular in China and is part of a series of new films that focus on the suffering during the Japanese occupation. Kato spoke in Chinese on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, and described the heartbreaking scenes he saw in the movie. He mentioned that many people in Japan, including politicians, deny that the Nanjing Massacre ever happened. Kato believes it is important for Japanese people to learn about this dark part of their history so that such tragedies are not repeated. His video received hundreds of thousands of likes, but many comments were negative, with people quoting a line from the movie: 'We are not friends. We never were. '

The history between China and Japan remains complicated. Many Chinese people feel that Japan has never fully apologized for its actions during the war, not only in China but also in other countries like Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. One of the most painful issues is the story of 'comfort women,' who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels. Survivors are still seeking an apology and compensation. In Japan, movies about the war are rarely shown, and people do not talk about these events much. Some Japanese see themselves as victims because of the bombings in Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. In China, the war is seen as a time of great suffering, and the government encourages people to remember this history through parades and movies. Even though Japan has issued apologies, many Chinese believe they are not sincere enough. The tension between the two countries is still strong, and the memories of the past continue to shape their relationship today.