the other Holocaust

BEIJING — China is considering producing a film about the Rape of Nanking, Japan's massacre of Chinese civilians in 1937, state media said on the eve of the 61st anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.

The project, a Sino-U.S.-British co-production, will deal with Japanese troops' orgy of murder and destruction in December 1937 after they captured the city of Nanjing, then known as Nanking and the capital of the Chinese republic, Xinhua said in a report carried by AFP-Jiji.

The movie will be an adaptation of "The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II," a non-fiction account by late American author Iris Chang, Xinhua said.
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I had my doubts posting this controversial blog entry, but decided in the end, to post it. I read this book and even though I doubt its accuracy, if even only 10% of it is true, it is still the most disturbing read in my life. (and the pictures are really graphic - not recommended for those with a weak stomach)

In many parts of Europe it is illegal to deny the Holocaust. I wonder why this is not true in Japan. Nations outside Japan generally agree that the non-combatant death toll was 300,000 in the Nanjing/Nanking massacre (南京大虐殺, Nankin daigyakusatsu) however, most Japanese officials have denied that figure.

I wonder if people here are taught about this in school at present or in the past. Here, it is said to be neutrally referred to as, "The Nanjing Incident" (南京事件, Nankin jiken) and I have never heard talk about it or other taboo topics like WWII and the burakumin (shunned minority of Japan) - all topics that stir up controversy but light my interest.

This and WWII are the big reasons why some members of my family, even to this day, are not fond of Japan. Not the people per se, but the country itself, for it's history and failure to properly acknowledge its faults from the past (as Germany properly did).

My grandma often talked about escaping from Nanjing at that time, taking refuge in southern China, being forced to live on rice full of rocks and sand. Equally scary were her tales about escaping communist China, taking refuge in Hong Kong and eventually making their way to Taiwan, the only safe haven at that time.

Sometimes I wonder if it is shameful to my family, me living in Japan and all...but then again, I think the past should be recognized but we should focus on the future full of hope and a new beginning. The only way to do that is to break down stereotypes and other such barriers.