中国新華社報道「旧日本軍１５０万人在中国被殲滅」

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中国新華社「旧日本軍１５０万人を中国で殲滅」

2014年09月02日 17時32分

　【北京＝牧野田亨】中国国営新華社通信は１日に配信した「抗日戦争」に関する記事で、旧日本軍１５０万人を中国で殲滅(せんめつ)し、第２次世界大戦での旧日本軍死者数の７０％を占めたと伝えた。

　日本側統計では旧満州を含めて約５０万人。３日の「抗日戦争勝利記念日」を前に戦果を誇張したようだ。

　同通信は「この数字（１５０万人）はアジア及び太平洋で、２０か国以上の国が滅ぼした日本侵略者の数よりもはるかに多い」と評価したが、１５０万人の根拠は示していない。

　日本の防衛省防衛研究所によると、旧厚生省援護局の統計では〈１〉中国本土（香港を含む）４５万５７００人〈２〉旧満州４万６７００人――の計５０万２４００人。戦死者総数（２１２万１０００人）の２３・７％だ。

(試譯文)

   A report on "Anti-Japanese war" distributed on the 1^st (September) by China’s National Xinhua News Agency said that in China 1,500,000 former Japanese Imperial Army had been killed, and it represented 70% of the Japan's total death toll of its old Army in World War II.

   In Japan’s statistics, about 500,000 soldiers died in the Old Manchuria. It seemed that the success in battle was exaggerated prior to the "Anti-Japanese war victory memorial day" on the 3^rd (September).

   While the news agency estimated that "this number (1,500,000 soldiers) is much higher than the number of Japanese invaders that had been eliminated in over 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific Ocean", the base to work out 1,500,000 people was not shown.

   According to the National Institute for Defense Studies of Japan’s Ministry of Defense, the statistics of the War Victims Relief Bureau of the old Ministry of Health and Welfare were <1> in mainland China (Hong Kong included) 455,700 people <2> in the old Manchuria 46,700. The total was 502,400 people. It was 23.7% of total (2,121,000) people killed in the war.

In China where freedom of speech is controlled by the authorities, it is not uncommon to see history being manipulated for political purposes.