Japanese confessions of atrocities published
A selection of written confessions by Japanese war criminals after World War II has been published in book form in China, with most of the archives available to the public for the first time, the State Archives Administration said on Tuesday.
Japan surrendered unconditionally in 1945.
From 1950 to 1956, 1,109 Japanese war criminals remained in prison in Fushun, Liaoning province, and Taiyuan, Shanxi province. The book includes photocopies of their handwritten confessions and detailed records of their interrogations and trials. The documents serve as irrefutable evidence of Japan’s heinous crimes against China during the war, the administration said.
The written confessions detailed crimes such as the killing, enslavement and poisoning of Chinese people. The prisoners also confessed to using bacterial and chemical weapons, conducting biological tests on live humans and setting up military brothels with sex slaves for the Japanese army.
The book includes confes- sions by 842 prisoners, compiled in 120 volumes. The first 50 volumes were published in August 2015.
The book, published by Zhonghua Book Co, comprises the original photocopied texts in Japanese, along with supplements, corrections, postscripts and the text of Chinese translations made at the time. English translations of abstracts are presented before each written confession.
from Japan were imprisoned in Fushun and Taiyuan from 1950 to 1956. BRICS nations’ strong role in global science development is becoming more evident.” Wan Gang, minister of science and technology
BRICS countries account for 42 percent of the world’s population, 18 percent of the world’s GDP, 17 percent of total research funding and 27 percent of all published science papers, Wan said.
“BRICS nations’ strong role in global science development is becoming more evident,” he said. “More multilateral cooperation and exchanges at all levels are beneficial in unlocking the scientific potential of each member nation.”
BRICS nations will promote training and exchanges for young scientists, encourage young entrepreneurs to innovate and share their experiences, and support the role of female scientists in science and innovation.
China recently held the second BRICS Youth Scientists Forum in Hangzhou, and many great ideas emerged, Wan said. Some of the proposals from the forum will be incorporated into the BRICS summit scheduled for Sept 3 to 5 in Xiamen, Fujian province.
South Africa will host the next BRICS science and technology ministerial meeting.
Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s science minister, said her country will build on the solid foundation of BRICS cooperation, and carry out the action plans agreed to at the Hangzhou meeting.
South Africa is now working with China to establish science parks, she said. “We would like to draw experience from China about building incubators because we believe this can lead to more innovation.”