On April 4th, Matsuoka Ring (left), head of the Nanjing delegation from the Ming Heart Association of Japan, knelt on one knee and talked with the survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. On that day, in Tomb-Sweeping Day, survivors of the Nanjing Massacre, relatives of the victims and representatives from all walks of life paid homage to the victims killed by the Japanese invaders in 1937 in front of the wailing wall (the wall of the victims list) in the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre. China News Agency issued a photo of Libo
China news agency, Beijing, August 7 th: "Japanese conscience" Matsuoka Ring: Let more people, especially the Japanese, know the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre.
China News Service reporter Ying Ni
Sitting quietly in front of the reporter of China News Service, Matsuoka Ring, thin body and white face, it is difficult for people to associate her with such a bloody incident as the "Nanjing Massacre". It is this Japanese lady who is nearly seventy years old who has been searching for the historical materials of the Nanjing Massacre for nearly 30 years and has been determined to spread them in China, and has been praised as "Japanese conscience" by Japanese media.
Matsuoka Ring, who came to Beijing a few days ago, signed a contract with New World Publishing House in China to publish Nanjing: Torn Memories. The Chinese version is expected to be published next year. This book, published in English, about the testimony of Japanese veterans and victims of the Nanjing Massacre, attracted public attention in many places after the release of the new book in Toronto, Canada in April this year.
Recalling my first visit to Nanjing in 1988, Matsuoka Ring still remembers the victim, Li Xiuying, who said in a hoarse voice, "I feel uncomfortable when I see the Japanese." She admitted to the reporter that this sentence gave her a great impact, "although the political atmosphere and public opinion at that time were both inclined ‘ China-Japan friendship ’ But I think this is what Chinese really thinks. "
Matsuoka Ring, who used to be a primary school teacher, said that at first, he felt that Japanese education was unfair, while teachers should have been just. "During the investigation, I found that Japan constantly strengthened its efforts to deny history and at the same time strengthened its armaments. The victims in Nanjing told me their pain and hoped that I would tell the truth to the Japanese people. People who deny history hurt their victims again and again, and I have to explain to the old people. They trusted me and encouraged me. When my activities achieved results and told these to the victims, I knew that their pain was also alleviated. "
Matsuoka Ring still remembers Zhang Xiuyu, an 88-year-old man, holding her hand a month before her death and earnestly telling her that she must tell the truth to the Japanese. It was the same old man who, with the encouragement of Matsuoka Ring, bravely went to the Japanese court as a witness in 1999 and accused Japanese militarism of the heinous crimes committed in China that year.
In 1990, Matsuoka Ring established an organization to investigate and study the truth of the Nanjing Massacre — — "Ming Xin Hui (Nanjing)", I hope that the memory of the Nanjing Massacre will be remembered by Japanese people.
"I think young people should be given a correct understanding of what their country is like. Since more than 10 years ago, there has been no history of aggression in textbooks. Before it was submitted to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Education for examination and approval, the publishing house itself had already adjusted this paragraph, otherwise it could not be sold, which obscured the children’s eyes. "
The more Matsuoka Ring knows about the historical truth, the more questions he has and the more he wants to know. Since 1997, she began to consciously search for Japanese veterans who were the perpetrators, and a total of 250 perpetrators were interviewed by her.
"Less than 2% of the perpetrators have repented," Matsuoka Ring told reporters that only 3 or 4 of the 250 people expressed remorse. The indifference of the perpetrators and the painful struggle of the victims formed a very clear gap, which not only made her deeply saddened, but also further inspired Matsuoka Ring’s determination to reflect the historical truth in a neutral way.
A subtle fact is that the families of many Japanese veterans who did harm didn’t know that they had done so many bad things in China. Matsuoka found in the interview that these Japanese veterans didn’t disclose their evil deeds in China to their families. "I think they should still feel that those actions are wrong and guilty in their hearts."
Matsumura, a Japanese veteran who has talked with Matsuoka Ring for more than 20 times, impressed her deeply. "From pride and indifference at the beginning, to later saying that this war was a disaster, which was meaningless to Japan and China, until he died and said ‘ How nice it would be without this war ’ I deeply felt his inner remorse. "
Matsuoka Ring, who is still on the road of revealing and spreading the historical truth, finally said that it is very important to know each other’s history and the history of the other country, so that we can not repeat the same mistakes with common memories. "I hope the world knows how hard-won peace is and how to cherish it."