Fairness. Justice. Dignity -- Legal Basis for Chinese Civilian War Victims' Claims Against Japan

Author: Guan Jianqiang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The invasion of China launched by Japan ended in failure. Today, history has passed a full six decades since then. As living people, especially those who experienced that war, the war they felt was not just a struggle between nations or a clash between armies. It was also the massacre of civilians by the Japanese army, the rape of women, the destruction of humanity, and the trampling of human dignity. The extent of its atrocities can be described as the behavior of beasts. As the organization that led the invasion, the planner, and the perpetrator of war crimes that violated international humanitarian law, in addition to being held criminally liable for war crimes, they should also compensate the victimized countries and their citizens. The demand for compensation from Japan by Chinese civilian war victims is a post-war historical issue that remains unresolved. Time could have healed the wounds of war, but the right-wing conservative forces in Japan insist on dredging up old grievances. To this day, Chinese victims have not received a clear admission of guilt, apology, or compensation from the Japanese government. Moreover, they continue to suffer repeated wounds from incidents such as Japanese leaders visiting the Yasukuni Shrine and altering history textbooks.