Date of Letter:1992-06-09
Address of Author:Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province
Date of Event:1937
Location of Event:Zongyang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province
Name of Author:Wu Zhaomin
Name(s) of victim(s):Wu Xuanmeng(Wu Zhaomin’s uncle) and Wu Zhaolai (Wu Zhaomin’s elder brother)
Type of atrocity:Murders, Others (MU, OT)
Other Details:In the summer of 1937, when uncle was working in the field, he was shot to death by the Japanese army. While the back of elder brother was burnt, he luckily escaped back home to deliver the message.
Comrade Tong,
Hello!
After reading the article ‘Trend of Civil Claims for Reparations’ published on Shanxi Daily, I was deeply touched, for you have stated what I have wanted to say for many years, which is indeed ‘one person shout; millions response’. From 1931 to 1945, the war of aggression against China launched by the Japanese invaders brought to the Chinese people disasters they had never suffered for thousands of years. Millions of Chinese sacrificed their lives. Over 20 million fellows were injured and harmed. Thousands of families were broken and hundred millions of properties went to nothing. When speaking of the Japanese invaders, we are heartbroken because of their numerous monstrous crimes. The tragedy of my family is an epitome of the Japanese crimes and a true reflection of the history.In the summer of 1937, which I knew later was around the July 7th Incident, my uncle Wu Xuanyi (24 years old at that time) took my elder brother of 14 years old (Wu Zhaolai, now living in Lvzhuang Village, Yijing Town, Zongyang County, Anhui Province), a buffalo and a harrow to the bank side of Yangtze River 100 lis (1 li = 500 meters) from home, helping peasants who did not have enough men to cultivate, to make a living. Unexpectedly, one morning, they were strafed by the Japanese aircrafts. The bullet blasted my uncle’s testicle, with no one to help him. He died of bleeding right away in the garden. Meanwhile, the missile burnt the back of my elder brother’s clothes who was pasturing the buffalo, but he luckily escaped from danger. After seeing this miserable scene, he abandoned the buffalo and the harrow and ran away by himself. He hid (afraid of the planes) and begged for food along the road, to go back home and inform the families.After my uncle’s death, my aunt of only 23, older daughter of five and younger daughter who was not born were left behind. My grandmother fell sick because of her son’s death, and then passed away before long. According to the Chinese tradition, I, at age of only four, was adopted by my aunt as her son. After the death of my uncle, our family lost a strong laborer, so the heavy burden was assumed by my father alone, which made life harder. Despite of the serious strike, my aunt still observed the feudal custom of keeping chastity, suffering from difficulty and distress for 55 years. She is now 78 years old, with bad eyesight and cannot take care of herself. She is looked after by my elder brother and sister-in-law (both are 70 years old), and I pay for her living expense.I am 60 years old, and had studied in an agricultural school and a vet institute under the cultivation of CPC and the government after liberation. In 1957, I was allocated to a farm in Taiyuan City as a vet till now.
Comrade Tong: on April 1st this year, when answering the Japanese journalists’ question before his visit to Japan, the General Secretary Jiang Zemin stated the standpoint of our government: ‘We abandoned the national request for war reparations against Japan. But, no restriction is inflicted on the tendency of civil reparations.’ Your proposal to ‘claim reparations for the Chinese civil losses against the current Japanese Government’ according to the International law complies with what Jiang Zemin has replied to the Japanese journalists, which I believe is sensible, reasonable and rightful.In 1937, the Japanese Government deliberately murdered countless innocent Chinese civilians including my uncle. After more than half a century, no substantial compensations have been made to the families of the victims, which does not match with the image of a developed country.The western developed countries (including Japan) often talk about civilized phrases like human rights, humanity, etc., but the fact that no lives or compensations are paid for the murders conforms to neither the International Law nor the legal provisions of various countries, let alone it is the brutality against innocent common people and out of the desire of aggression. I strongly urge the Japanese government to bear the due responsibility, settle and compensate for the disasters of the Chinese people caused by the former Japanese government and show to the world with action the current Japanese Government’s civilization, humanity and wish to correct errors.Comrade Tong: I am not young, and have been doing practical work for a long time. So my writing skill is terrible, unable to express all I am thinking in my mind. Here I honestly described how my family was destroyed by the Japanese aircrafts in brief. Hope it could be the original material for your claim; there must be a lot of parts that are inappropriate, pleasemake correction. On the other hand, please consider delivering this to the Japanese embassy, the Japanese Government and even the Emperor of Japan without violating the relevant policies and regulations.
For possibleverification, you could contact the living elderly over 70 in Lvzhuang Village, Yijin Town, Zongyang County, Anhui Province. They are Wu Xuangui (over 80), Wu Zhushi (80), Wu Tianci (70) and Xu Guofu (over 70).
Sincerely,
Farm, Pasture and Stock Corporation, Taiyuan, Shanxi
Postcode: 030032
Wu Zhaomin (name seal)
June 9th, 1992
You can contact me according to the address if necessary.
Strongly urge the Japanese Government to pay reparations.
Chinese citizen:
Wu Zhaomin (name seal)
June 9th, 1992