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Comrade Tong Zeng:
Hello!

After receiving related materials, I immediately circulated them among some senior cadres who are concerned with this issue and gathered together to read them, we reached agreement over responding to and supporting the claim against Japan issue, we agree and support recommending to the “Two Sessions” for discussion and demanding compensation. In view of the current domestic and overseas situations, the actual execution has considerable difficulty, but it needs good timing, and making unremitting efforts. In other words, it is recommended to propose it at the “Two Sessions” for discussion and claim compensation, which is a key step in developing wider civilian actions. The “Proposal” should preferably be delivered to the NPC and CPPCC respectively, so as to be able to develop proposal from two aspects, and submit to the meetings for discussion. Meanwhile, there should also be victims and their relatives, who can directly put forward demand for compensation to the Japanese embassy in China. Please find attached copies for filing and future reference.

About the comrades who have left signatures on the ‘Supporting Compensation Claim of “WWII” Victims Toward Japan’, the details are as follows:
Zhang Zimei: 66, retired cadre, formerly Chairman of the Standing Committee of Ankang Municipal People’s Congress, delegate of Shaanxi Province People’s Congress, Director of Ankang Regional Biological Research Institute;
Xiu Bunian: 68, formerly Deputy Chairman of Ankang CPPCC Municipal Committee, member of the CPPCC Shaanxi Provincial Standing Committee, President of Shaanxi Province Ankang Teachers College;
Ge Yongping: 82, formerly Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of Ankang Municipal People’s Congress, chief person of Ankang Democratic League;
Wang Baoyang: 62, formerly Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of Ankang Municipal People’s Congress, Chairman of Seniors Sport Association;
Luo Hua: 66, retired cadre;
Huang Zusheng: 66, retired cadre;
Zhao Shushen: 62, ministry-level engineer of Hubei Chemistry Research Institute;
Gao Jiahua: 65, formerly Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of Ankang Municipal People’s Congress, Deputy Editor and Editor-in-chief of County Annals.
About the contact addresses of above persons, they all can be contacted directly, or forwarded by me.

Regards
Yours faithfully

Gao Jiahua
September 1

Ankang County Annals
Section Fourteen　Japanese Invasion Army Air-raided the County Town

　　During the Anti-Japanese War period, the Japanese invasion army frequently dispatched aircrafts to air raid key targets in Sichuan including Chongqing, and Liangshan, Ankang received four times of bombing from Japanese aircrafts, in which the biggest loss occurred on September 3, 1940 (on August 2 of lunar calendar), the 36 Japanese aircrafts bombed indiscriminately against peaceful residents, dumped more than 500 pieces of incendiary bombs and toxic gas bombs, coupled with machine gun shooting, the Old Town and the New Town suffered huge losses.

At around 7 o’clock in the morning of that day, an air raid alarm sounded in Ankang, everyone in the official departments, schools, shops, and residents one after another left the town to flee to Huangtuliang, Chenjiagou, Qujiahe and mountain valley on the northern beach of Hanjiang River. At about 9 o’clock, an emergency alarm sounded, enemy aircrafts passed the place from high above. At 1 o’clock in the afternoon the alarm was cancelled, hungry and thirsty crowds returned to the town. However, in less than one hour, the alarm suddenly sounded again. Since the alarm was sounded each day, but there’s no bombing, people became careless, some said, “once the alarm sounds, go to bed to sleep”. But this time it’s different, it was followed immediately by emergency alarm, within a dozen minutes, the 12 enemy aircrafts flew from the west to the east, instantly sounds of deafening explosion, like there is an earthquake, meanwhile the bombing was accompanied by machine gun shooting. The second batch and the third batch of aircrafts with 12 each successively dived, dropped bombs, which burst into flame and exploded, the entire town was immersed in black smoke. According to recollection by witnesses, at that moment everywhere in the Old Town was a fire scene, 90% of the houses along one street and two lanes were destroyed, leaving behind fallen walls and piles of tiles, dead bodies lay strewn on the ground, all of them were destroyed beyond recognition. One family at the Miaotaizi, Beimadao, was celebrating “one full month” of the birth of a child, excluding the mother and the baby who survived, more than 30 persons who gathered here were killed by bombing. At Futaichang Dessert Shop at the crossroad of Jinyinxiang Lane, seven persons in one family suffered casualty. The limbs of some hang on the trees or eaves. The business room of the Post Office was completely destroyed, letters and paper dust floated everywhere. Ankang Middle School Instrument Room was also destroyed. The Shaanxi Assembly Hall (today’s Department of the People’s Armed Force), the place that stored about 1 million catties of tung oil of a trading company, caught fire and erupt into explosion, the smoke column soared high into the sky, the fire lasted several days without dying. People who were still alive rushed out of crumbled houses, yelling for sons and daughters, bringing along the old and the young, blindly fled out of town. On the dikes outside the Big and Small South Gates, prostrate bodies and the injured dotted the road side. One bomb hitting Nanjing Street in the New Town killed 10 people, 7 students of Xingan Teachers College met with tragic death. From Old Town Tuximen to Dashizi, there were over 100 anonymous bodies. In this time’s bombing of Ankang by the Japanese invaders, more than 800 persons died.

Several Points of Common Understanding on Supporting “WWII” Victims to Demand Compensation from Japan

　　I. In the “China-Japan Joint Declaration” published on September 29, 1972, the statement “the Japanese side expressed self-reflection toward the past war” fails to clarify the invasion nature of the “past war” waged by the Japanese side as an initiating party, the word “self-reflection” is also ambiguous. The Chinese government “abandoned war compensation from Japan for the sake of friendly relation between Chinese and Japanese people”, such expression reflected consideration to general situation, and forgiving generosity; but it does not contain the meaning of no claim to compensate for civilian victims. Since the establishment of diplomatic relation between China and Japan, the Japanese government attempted to conceal its historical obligation in the invasion war, and lacked unequivocal confession attitude, there were frequent instances of speeches and behaviors by residual forces of Japanese militarists that hurt the sentiments of the Chinese people. Recently, the Japanese government underwent major changes in attitude, but the implementation of damage compensation is not an easy thing. The Chinese people will not forget the towering crimes committed by the Japanese militarists during the “WWII” period in China, we are entitled to demand compensation from Japan. This action is for the purpose of prompting Japanese government to implement confession toward its invasion history, repress residual forces of Japanese militarists, it is a righteous action favorable to safeguarding peace, and fulfilling the genuine long-lasting friendly relation between Chinese and Japanese people for generations to come.

II. Support Beijing Tong Zeng’s proposition on civilian claim against Japan, advocate highly qualified intellectuals and renowned personnel to continue to put forward proposal to the “Two Sessions”, and respectively submit claim against Japanese to the “Two Sessions” for review and discussion. During the “WWII” period, Ankang area in Shaanxi received wonton bombing from the Japanese invasion army, survivors and ten millions of victims’ family members still clearly remember the humiliation suffered by the nation and people in that year, and recorded them in the local annals for eternal memory. We will continue to collect and sort out historical records in this aspect, use them to educate the next generations, and adopt corresponding appropriate forms to strive for fulfillment of the claim.

III. Based on the above consensus, we support to demand compensation from Japan to uphold justice. Such civilian activity which is for the pure purpose of public welfare will certainly receive approval from people of vision from all circles. We are willing to cooperate with related organizations and groups to provide necessary consulting service within our ability toward the claim demand of “WWII” victims and records, nevertheless we do not accept obligations with economic nature, for instance there will be no fundraising, all gifts and sponsorship will be declined.

Contact person (signature)　Zhang Zimei　Xu Bunian　Ge Yongping　Wang Baoyang
Luo Hua　Huang Zusheng　Zhao Shushen　Gao Jiahua

September 3, 1993

Japanese Embassy in China:
During the Anti-Japanese War period, peaceful residents living in Ankang, Shaanxi Province, received several times of indiscriminate bombing from the Japanese invasion army. On September 3, 1940 (August 2 of the lunar calendar), 36 Japanese aircrafts repeatedly dropped bombs and sprayed bullets over Ankang downtown area, more than 800 people died. My family’s Futaichang Pastry Shop was totally destroyed in the air raid, seven persons died; my grandfather, grandmother and elder sister all died in the air raid, my mother protected my younger sister who was still unweaned, received 20 bullets in the waist, which were unable to be removed, she died on the fifth day with bitter hatred. Back then, the whole city was immersed in thick smoke, flaming fire burned several days without going out, one could see human bodies and debris everywhere. Such scene were still fresh in memory despite 53 years of time lapse; though I’m over sixty, the crimes committed by the Japanese army in these years were never faded; deaths of family members, calamity and humiliation of the nation, will never be forgotten.

After the WWII ended, especially since the establishment of diplomatic relation between China and Japan, although the Chinese government abandoned war compensation demand toward Japan for the sake of friendship between Chinese and Japanese people, however, the Chinese people suffering from huge war calamity will never forget the inhumane crimes committed by the Japanese invaders in the process of waging invasion war toward China; nor can they tolerate the ambiguous attitude cherished by the Japanese ruling officials over the past several dozen years toward its invasion history and speeches & behaviors that hurt Chinese sentiments by the Japanese militarists. We fully support Mr. Tong Zeng’s action to demand damage compensation for WWII from Japan. As family member of victims of the WWII, I am the survivor of war calamity, and also witness of the history, I will never abandon the justified right to demand compensation from the Japanese government. Through this action, we will repress the resurrection of Japanese militarism, safeguard world peace, and make our due contribution to sustaining friendly relation between Chinese and Japanese people for generations to come, till Japan formally express regret for its crime, and offer apology and compensation to the Chinese people.

Victim’s relative　Zhao Shushen (62, senior engineer)
Experience verifier　Gao Jiahua (65, Editor-in-chief of “Ankang County Annals)
Ankang, Shaanxi
August 15, 1993