This web-site is a collaboration between people in China and USA.
Origin of Project： For a more detailed description of the origin of the project, see the “Site Overview” page. The origin of the project began in 1990 when Mr. Tong Zeng, a young, concerned and patriotic Chinese, investigated the international legal issues regarding compensation related to atrocities committed by one country on the citizens of another country during a war. He concluded that the Chinese citizens who were victims of Japanese atrocities during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945) have every right to seek compensation from Japan (from the Japanese government, or in the case of slave labors, also from the Japanese corporations who used the slave laborers).
In March 1991 Mr. Tong Zeng distributed his open white paper to the delegates on their way to attend the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing. The white paper stated that Chinese victims of Japanese atrocity have the legal rights to request Japan for compensation. In particular, he distinguished the case of the Chinese government seeking compensation from Japan and the case of Chinese citizens seeking compensation from Japan.
His white paper ignited a brush fire across the whole country. It was a long-overdue item for seeking justice and closure that has been buried in the hearts and souls of thousands and thousands of Chinese atrocity victims and their relatives. The silence of half a century should not be continued.
Immediately he received an avalanche of support letters from people all over China. These letters provided heart-wrenching recalls of the atrocities they or their relatives had suffered at the hands of the Japanese military. Within a few years, he received about 10,000 such letters. This is why this project/website is called “10000 Cries for Justice”.
When word got out that these letters were pouring in to Mr. Tong’s office, many journalists, as well as many relatives of the authors/victims of these letters, asked Mr. Tong to borrow many of these letters. Copying machines were not common in Chinese offices and homes 20 years ago. As a result, thousands of letters were borrowed and were never returned to Mr. Tong. Although Mr. Tong recently published a letter in Chinese newspapers requesting those who have borrowed any of these letters to return them to him, due to the long elapsed period, so far he has not received any returned items (we urge anyone who has borrowed any of these letters to return them to Mr. Tong Zeng as soon as possible, so that they can be added to this digital archive). As a result, the number of letters still in Mr. Tong’s possession now numbers only around 5,000.
After more than 20 years, not only that there was no progress from Japan to face up to this part of history, many Japanese government leaders have continued to make comments denying the existence of these atrocities. Mr. Tong thought that publishing these personal accounts would provide powerful evidence to refute all the false claims made by the Japanese government. Righting this injustice could be a catalyst to establish genuine friendship between the Japanese people and the Chinese people and true peace between Japan and China,as well as other countries.
Origin of Collaborative Project：When reports about the existence of these letters reached the U.S., David T. Chai and Don M. Tow, both with extensive experience in community activities in the U.S., immediately contacted Mr. Tong to seek his agreement to establish a joint project to scan and digitize these letters and post them in a public website, with translation into English of these letters (only about 10% of the letters will be translated in the first release; more translations will be included in future releases). Mr. Tong agreed and assigned his chief assistant Ms. Meng Huizhong to work with Chai and Tow, and the joint project was initiated in January 2014.
The Project consists of two teams:
A. Beijing Team：Headed by Tong Zeng, with a team of several members under the management of Meng Huizhong:
Tong Zeng (童增)：Born in Chongqing in 1956. Graduated from Sichuan University in Chengdu, Sichuan in 1982 majoring in economics. From 1986-1989 he studied and received a master degree in law from Beijing University. Then he worked as an instructor of law at the Beijing Chemical Engineering Management Institute (北京化工管理干部学院). Because by the time he started his compensation campaign, all the atrocity victims were already senior citizens, he went to work as a researcher at the National Committee on Aging (国家老龄委) so he can interact more with the senior citizens..
Currently he is the Chairman of the China Fortune Investment Company, Ltd. (中祥投资有限公司董事长). He is a Director of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (中国宋庆龄基金会理事). In 1990 he initiated the campaign “Chinese Civil Claims Against Japan” and serves as the President of an NGO (Non Government Organization) “China Civil Claims Against Japan Federation” (中國民間對日索賠聯合會). In 1996 he also headed the movement “China Federation of Defending Diaoyu Islands” and serves as the President of another NGO of the same name “Chinese Federation of Defending Diaoyu Islands (中国民间保钓联合会会长)”.
Meng Huizhong (孟惠忠)：Is the Office Director of the China Fortune Investment Company, Ltd., and serves as Mr. Tong Zeng’s chief assistant in his various activities, including the “China Civil Claims Against Japan Federation”. Under the guidance of Mr. Tong Zeng, she is the head of the Beijing Team working on this project.
Other Beijing Team Members：Liu Chenxue (刘晨雪) and Zhao Xia (赵霞).
B. USA Team：Headed by Dr. David T. Chai and Dr. Don M. Tow. They set up a new non-profit educational organization in USA, and registered in the State of California, with Federal Internal Revenue Service approval as a 501 (c) (3) tax-deductible public charity organization. Its name is 10000 CRIES FOR JUSTICE.
David T. Chai (柴大定)：(passed away in 2023)Serves as the President of 10000 CRIES FOR JUSTICE. In addition, he has been very active in his communities, including serving as a Council member and Mayor of Holmdel, New Jersey. He served on the Board of many non-profits, such as the United Way of Monmouth County, Leadership New Jersey, a Senior Health Service in San Francisco, Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) – San Mateo, etc. He was a co-founder and the first President of Chinese American Heroes.
Don M. Tow (曹贊文)：Serves as the Vice President and Secretary of 10000 CRIES FOR JUSTICE. He has been active in his communities, including serving as the President of the “New Jersey Alliance for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia” (NJ-ALPHA). He also served for several years as a member of the Human Rights Commission of Middletown, New Jersey. He has organized several volunteer Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) tutoring programs for several high schools in New Jersey. In 1994 he was selected as a Fellow of the Leadership New Jersey. He also publishes his own website: http://www.dontow.com. More information about him can be found at: http://www.dontow.com/author/.
Board of Directors：In addition to Drs. Chai and Tow being on the Board of Directors of the “10000 CRIES FOR JUSTICE” non-profit organization, other Board of Director members are Dr. George Koo [also serving as the Treasurer], Dr. Ying-Ying Chang, and Dr. Peter Stanek [who since passed away in October 2014].
The purpose of this collaborative project is to preserve in a digital archive the collection of these thousands of original personal accounts that Mr. Tong Zeng received more than 20 years ago from the victims of Japanese military atrocities. This digital archive provides powerful evidence to refute all the false claims made by the Japanese government. This treasure of historical archive can also facilitate further research on these issues. We hope that it will be a catalyst to establish genuine friendship between the Japanese people and the Chinese people and true peace between Japan and China.
Please Join Us: If you would like to join us or support us, please visit the “Contact Us” page.