NewProgress of Japanese Department Zhou GuixiangGroup’s “A Historical Research on New China’s Treatment of Japanese War Criminals” was publishedinthe Paper
September 6, 2022
The day of September 3rd marks the 77th anniversary for the victories of anti-Japanese war and the World Anti-Fascist War. As the victor of World War II (WWII), questions and doubts regarding the war arose, such as New Chinese government’s post-war treatment, the reasons for Japanese war criminals’ crimes, the war criminals’ lives afterprosecution, and the reasons for the criminals’ view of Chinese prison as “a school of self-rehabilitation”. A group led by associate professor Zhou Guixiang, a teacher from the Japanese Department of the School of Foreign Languages formed to conduct “A Historical Research on New China’s Treatment of Japanese War Criminals”. They recently published their articles on The Paper (a Chinese online news website). The group endeavors to reveal the reality of New China’s treatment towards Japanese war criminals based on first-hand resources and information from both China and Japan.
By reviewing the previous war criminal Ebatotsuyoshi’s life trilogy, the first article introduces a hundred-year life of a common Japanese intellectual blackmailed by war. As the standing chairman of “The Association of Returnees from China” for many years, Ebatotsuyoshi had a clear ideological transformation, which is a typical example and a manifestation of Chinese civilization: “people-oriented” and “harmonious” concepts, transformation of negative factors into positive factors, the aspiration to live a better life in the society and the countries’ (e.g. Japan) contests of the pursuit of jungle society.
Domestic and foreign attention from media and scholars towards New China’s treatment of Japanese war criminals has never ceased since New China’s prosecution against Japanese war criminals began in 1956. The second and third articles of“a historical research on New China’s treatment of Japanese war criminals (vol. 1 & vol. 2)” present explanations for the amazing “miracle” created by“The Association of Returnees from China”based on historical truths. According to original Chinese and Japanese documents, the treatment processes and war criminals’ reactions were revealed in the articles, serving as an elaboration for China’s efforts to transform peace-breaching militants to anti-war peace-upholders in the context of the era.
The history of “The Association of Returnees from China” is one of the CPC’s (Communist Party of China) most successful experiences in dealing with contradictions between ourselves and enemies, and also a successful practice of Chinese culturalvalue’stranscendence over conflicts among different nations.
The above studieswere research results of “A Research on CPC’s Education Experience towards Japanese War Criminals based on their Confession and Reflection Processes (ZX20210717)” and “A Research on the Gap between Chinese and Japanese Historical Visions based on Japanese War Criminals’ Peaceful Activities after Returning Japan (ZX20150168)”,supported by National Social Science Fund of China. Both of the projects were led by associate professor Zhou Guixiang.
