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Comrade Tong Zeng and Chen Jian:
　　Hello!

　　I’m a victim with personal experience of the Japanese Imperialism’s invasion war, I fully support you and thank you for representing hundreds of millions of Chinese victims of the Japanese invasion war, to demand Japan to compensate for the losses brought to the Chinese people in the aftermath of its invasion into China.

　　Before liberation, the KMT betrayed the country for power and wealth, in complete disregard of people’s existence, they brought disaster upon itself, which instigated the Japanese invasion to make steady progress, large tracts of Chinese territory was occupied by the Japanese Imperialism, several hundred million people were afflicted with disaster, though the population were inflicted with wounds and scars, there’s no place to air the grievance.

　　After the New China was born, people stood up, and became master of the nation. People have the right to speak out, people demand Japan to offer compensation for the disastrous damages it brought to the Chinese people during Japan’s invasion war, which is fully justified.

　　Although our Premier Zhou abandoned war compensation toward Japan for the sake of friendship between Chinese and Japanese people on behalf of the Chinese government in 1972, as a nation to nation but he did not abandon the right of civilian seeking damage compensation, according to International Law.. Now we demand Japan to pay compensation for damages sustained by hundreds of millions of Chinese people in the Japanese invasion war, it is absolutely necessary and timely, I resolutely advocate and support your action, I hereby thank you on behalf of my family. Please also include me into your Japanese war victim signature campaign. I now record the disaster loss sustained by myself due to the Japanese invasion war, which provide ample evidence of the severity, and the calamity brought to the Chinese people by the Japanese invaders

　　I am Chen Chongjun, my native place is Dongqiao Chengu Village, Huawang Town, Anren County, Hunan Province. During the Anti-Japanese War period, my family had seven members, including grandparents, uncle and aunt and their one year old daughter, my mother and myself. In 1942 the Japanese Army occupied our hometown, since my home was close to a highway, we sustained the heaviest damage. Based on my family alone, the damage value reached USD 14000. The direct losses resulting from Japanese invasion are as follows:
(1) Death of grandfather Chen Shiliu, grandmother, and mother Tang Wenxiang due to Japanese biological warfare against the Chinese civilians (the bacteria employed was cholera), six persons developed festered feet due to toxic bacteria weapon. The medical expenses and funeral burial fee totaled more than RMB twenty thousand yuan.
(2) The Japanese burned our three sets of furniture including wardrobe, bookcase, cupboard, Ningbo bed, writing desk, totaling over RMB ten thousand yuan.
(3) Dismantled six of my home’s door plates to build highway bridge, equivalent to RMB over two thousand yuan.
(4) Killed one farming cattle, three pigs, over a dozen chicken, equivalent to RMB three thousand yuan.
(5) Clothing damage totaling over two thousand yuan.
(6) Repair work after the Japanese Army’s bombing also totaled over three thousand yuan. The above six items total forty thousand yuan.

　　Additionally, the Japanese Army’s invasion into my hometown forced us to abandon the farming land which resulted in our loss of productivity. Because of Japanese invasion, land in hometown lay wasted, farming and sidelines could not be carried out, the loss of production also approached RMB Thirty thousand yuan.
(1) Tea fruit oil. My family could produce over 1000 catties of oil (annual production), four years’ loss totals over RMB ninety thousand yuan.
(2) Each year we could harvest five thousand catties of grain, the loss of four years is RMB eight thousand yuan.
(3) Loss from raising pigs and chickens due to flight out-of-town, four years loss was no less than five thousand yuan.
(4) Vegetable planting, four year loss was no less than four thousand yuan.

　　During the Japanese invasion period, apart from three persons in my family who died of bacteria war, others were forced to flee to other towns, suffering from hunger, with clothing barely covering the body, lack of peaceful sleep, torment of illness, plus mental and physical ravage, all the towering crimes, one after another tragic scenes, all these are too painful to recall, although half a century has passed, it still hurts deeply when this segment of history is mentioned. In fact, nothing can make up for the huge calamity brought to common people in the aftermath of atrocities committed by the Japanese army in its invasion into China.

　　Also, raping of women, though no one in my family received this ravage, people in our village were victims. The Japanese Army even would not spare over sixty-year old women. In my village, my fifth brother’s mother aged over sixty was raped.

　　Owing to the disaster of the Japanese Invasion War, the land lay wasted, the production could not be restored for many years, and the quality of life was extremely poor. In 1948 I came to Yunnan to look for my father. In 1949 after liberation, I joined the revolutionary work. I worked at Yunnan Province Binchuan County Grain Bureau. Since I am near 70, now I have retired.

　　The Japanese invasion totally destroyed my family. I was separated from my wife and children, their whereabouts nor their survival remain unknown. I had an otherwise happy and prosperous family which was broken up by separation and loss of life and physical assets. After I lost my home, I was forced to go to other towns. Today only I and my first cousin, who was a little over 1 year at time of the ravage, are the only known survivors.

　　Today we demand Japan to pay civilian damage compensation of atrocities during the Japanese invasion war, it represents the wish of hundreds of millions of Chinese victims, it is also the wish of my family. I hereby specially submit my statement to express the thoughts of victims. I live in the frontier place of Yunnan, communication is inconvenient. If you need me to do something, please tell me, so that I can make contribution to winning the victory of claiming compensation for damages in the Japanese invasion war.

Chen Chongjun
Yunnan Province Ninchuan County Grain Bureau
November 1, 1992

　　This letter mailed by Dong Yiwen of the Planning Commission where my daughter’s husband works