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December 13, 2018

s0179

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Sequence number:s0179
Date of letter:1993-06-25
Address of author:Xi’an City, Shanxi Province
Date of event:1943-1944
Location of event:Changsha City, Hunan Province
Name of author:Wang Jiwu, Wang Jiwen, Wang Jixian
Name(s) of victim(s):Wang Jiwu, his parents, etc.
Type of atrocity:Murders, Rapes, Others(MU, RA, OT)
Other details:During 1943-1944, the Japanese army invaded Changsha, Hunan for three times, when my home property was burnt and three people were killed. Only the 11-year-old Wang Jiwu was conscripted labor. Father and several other fellows were taken away. Later Wang Jiwu’s father was stabbed to death by Japanese when trying to escape. Young women were gang raped and Wang’s mother was among them. Wang Jiwu saw a baby held by its mother being snatched by Japanese and thrown onto the ground, then the mother’s chest was pierced by Japanese bayonet.

Comrade Tong Zeng:

How have you been?

I am sending you our claim for compensation against Japan for your review because of your expertise on this issue.

I sent you three letters a while ago, but I received no reply. I have many questions to consult with you. Looking forward to your reply and guidance.

Thank you!

Wang Ji Wu, Education Bureau Mailbox, Xi’an 68, 710025
Mr. Wang
June 25, 1993

A Letter of Claim for Compensation Against Japan by Mr. Wang and His Two Brothers

  We three brothers are victims of Japan’s war of aggression during 1931-1945. We once wrote a letter to Prime Minister Miyazawa of the Japanese government demanding for compensation, but we haven’t received a reply yet. Today, we strongly appeal once again that the Chinese people victimized during Japan’s war of aggression must be duly compensated by the Japanese government.

The Japanese army invaded Changsha, Hu’nan three times during 1943-1944. Our family’s houses and property worth hundreds of thousand yuan were burned down twice and looted. 3 of 7 family members were killed. Our mother was raped and then my 11-year-old brother was taken away to do labor work and was injured later. We became homeless and wandered around the streets.

The detailed facts are as follows: Our grandfather Wang Gui Chu, father Wang Li Quan and mother Liu Xuan Ming opened a southern goods store in Xiaowumen, Changsha to support the 7 family members. In February 1943, the Japanese army invaded Changsha for the first time. Our family escaped to hometown Xiangxiang. Our store, house and properties were burned down like those of most of other families. After the Japanese army left, we returned to rebuild a home. We once again opened a southern goods store to make a living and before long built a two-floor building. No one could’ve thought that the Japanese army invaded Changsha for the second and third time. We once again escaped to Xiangxiang. We didn’t lose much this time. But we were unable to escape far for the third time. Our grandfather, father and mother carried belongings and together with the young children escaped to rural areas in Huangtuling, Changsha, begging along the way. But the Japanese army raided the rural areas every day.

One morning, dozens of refugees (men and women, children and elderly) went to the fields to pick up spikes of rice for meals. Suddenly a gunshot was heard and the fields were surrounded by armed Japanese soldiers. They gathered us refugees together. Several soldiers took away able-bodied men (including our father) and over 20 soldiers took away young women one by one to the woods for raping. Our mother was raped this time. We saw with our own eyes a woman carrying a baby who wouldn’t stop crying. A Japanese soldier seized the baby and thrown him to the ground killing him. The baby’s mother wouldn’t let go of the dead baby, so the solider pierced her chest with a bayonet.

Another day, at dawn, we heard dogs barking and people shouting. Before we knew what happened, several gun-holding Japanese soldiers broke in and took away our 11-year-old brother without explanation. The captured men and boys were ordered to carry the robbed food, chickens, ducks and pigs, etc. for Japanese soldiers. After reaching the camp, they were ordered to do heavy labor work every day instead of being released. One day while harvesting rice for the Japanese army, our brother’s legs were cut and bled badly, but he was given no treatment. The next day, his legs got swollen due to infection. He constantly cried and begged and was finally released. None of the other captured refugees got back.

Several days later, an escaped refugee returned and told us that our father was captured by the Japanese army while escaping and was stabbed to death. At that time, we didn’t dare to find his body.

Our grandfather was heartbroken at the news and coupled with old age, weakness and hunger, he died while begging on the road days later.

The several-month-old sister had no milk from our mother. She was not allowed to cry. In the end, she died in our mother’s arms quietly.

The invading Japanese army took away the lives of 3 family members in a short period of time. Our mother was weak and heartbroken and unable to escape by taking us along. So, she returned to Changsha with some other refugees, hoping to get help from relatives and friends. Unexpectedly, when we reaching Dujiashan, the Japanese sentries with bayonets stood in our way and wouldn’t let us pass. We saw several military aircraft through the wire net. It turned out that the area was converted to a Japanese military aircraft airport and all of our houses and stores were gone! We were completely homeless!

Then, our mother had to remarry to live and we three brothers became orphans wandering around the streets.

This is the calamity that Japan’s war of aggression brought to us. We were victimized both materially and emotionally. No one can compensate us enough for the suffering.

Therefore, we three brothers solemnly demand the Japanese government to pay us a compensation of 300,000 USD in accordance with the practices of international law. Japan is an economic power in the world. The Sino-Japanese friendship is not real if Japan doesn’t pay the debt that it owes to tens of thousands of victims of the war.

We strongly demand that the Japanese government compensate all affected Chinese people from the humanitarian perspective as soon as possible in order to truly develop a Sino-Japanese friendship from generation to generation.

Three brothers Wang Ji Wu, Wang Ji Wen and Wang Ji Xian
June 16, 1993

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Murders(MU), Others(OT), Rapes(RA)
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