Japan hotel under fire for book denying Nanjing massacre

BEIJING: One of Japan’s biggest hotel chains has been rebuked by Beijing, and Chinese travel agencies have boycotted the chain, after it was revealed that the owner of the chain wrote a book denying that the Japanese army carried out a massacre in Nanjing city in eastern China during World War 2.

A Chinese historian recently came across the book, titled The Real History of Japan, in a room of the APA hotel, owned by Toshio Motoya, while travelling in Japan. The book was widely available in the hotel chain and residents could buy copies from the hotel’s gift shops.

The Japanese occupation of China during the 1930s and particularly the events in Nanjing — known as the massacre of Nanjing or the rape of Nanjing — are sensitive topics. Chinese historians say Nanjing was home to more than 600,000 residents before the Japanese attack and occupation; more than 300,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed in December 1937.

Chinese state media reported that the book refers to the “300,000 people slaughtered in Nanking” as “falsehood” and the Nanjing Massacre in China, “comfort women” and largescale forced prostitution in South Korea as “untruths”.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the Japanese government must ensure that Japanese people are exposed to authoritative versions of history.

She said the book “again shows that some forces within Japan refuse to squarely face history and even attempt to deny and distort history”.

JAPAN’S OCCUPATION OF CHINA DURING THE 1930S, PARTICULARLY THE EVENTS IN NANJING ARE SENSITIVE TOPICS. HISTORIANS SAY OVER 300,000 CHINESE PEOPLE WERE KILLED