中日聯手研究南京大屠殺

Recently Asahi News reported the following:

日中両政府が進めてきた有識者による初の日中歴史共同研究の報告書の内容が明らかになった。１９３７年の南京大虐殺は「大規模な虐殺行為」との認識では一致したが、犠牲者数は今後の研究課題とした。一方、日本の途上国援助（ＯＤＡ）が中国の発展に貢献したと評価。共同研究の日中両座長は「相互理解を促進する第一歩」と位置づけている。 報告書は「古代・中近世史」「近現代史」の２部構成で、同じテーマに関する日中双方の論文を収録している。 近現代史の「総論」によると、日中全面戦争の発端となった３７年の盧溝橋事件について、日本側は事件の「偶然性」を、中国側は事件発生の「必然性と計画性」を重視。毒ガス兵器の使用や市民への無差別爆撃など、日本軍の中国での侵略の傷跡が今も残っているとの考えで一致した。 南京大虐殺については「大規模な虐殺行為であることを認めこれを討論した」と明記。ただ、規模、原因、背景などについては「深く追究する必要がある」とした。 虐殺の規模をめぐっては、中国の大虐殺記念館が「３０万人」と表示。日本の研究者の間では「数万～２０万人」などの諸説があり、虐殺そのものを否定する研究者もいる。日本政府は「多くの非戦闘員の殺害や略奪行為などがあったことは否定できない」としつつも、犠牲者数について「諸説あり、政府として正しい数を認定することは困難」との見解を示している。 戦後の歴史については、日中双方が、日本が新憲法のもとで平和国家として歩んだことを肯定的に評価。靖国神社参拝問題や日本の歴史教科書問題などについては、今後研究する必要があるとした。

Details of the joint history research report done by specialists with the support of both the Chinese and Japanese governments was made known. Although the Rape of Nanking in 1937 was admitted as a "Large-scale slaughter act", the research on casualty toll would be a subject for further research in future. Separately, Official Development Aid (ODA) of Japan was judged to have a positive contribution towards the development of China. The co-chairmen of this China-Japan research party regarded their position as "The first step that promotes mutual understanding". The report would compose of two components: "Ancient times and early modern age history" and "Present age history", and would collect related theses written in China and Japan with the same theme. According to the 'introduction' of the Present age history, while Japan stressed the "Contingency" of the Marco Polo Bridge event happened in 1937 which led to the outbreak of the full-scale war between China and Japan, China stressed the "Necessity and plan" with regard to the occurrence of the event. Both side agreed that the scar of the invasion done in China by Japanese army such as the use of the poison gas munition and the carpet bombing to the citizens still remained. Regarding the Rape of Nanking, it was noted clearly that "discussion is needed in order to judge whether it was a large-scale slaughter act". It was also noted that the scale, the cause, and the background of the event was accepted as "a point that needs further inquiry". Regarding the scale of the massacre, in the memorial in China it was showed as "300,000 people". In Japan, among researchers the opinion on the number varied from 20 to 30 thousand up to 200,000 people, there were researchers who even denied any slaughtering. Japanese Government held the view that "As there are different opinions, therefore as a government, it is difficult to recognize a correct number" on the casualty toll, although the government already admitted that "It is indisputable that there were lots of murders and ravages targeted at noncombatants". Both China and Japan affirmatively evaluated the history of postwar Japan as a peaceful nation progressing under a new constitution. It was understood that the Yasukuni Shrine visit problem and the history textbook issue etc. in Japan would be necessarily a research focus in the future.

From the above, it seems that scholars from both China and Japan will achieve some common ground as far as the Nanking Massacre is concerned.