Date of letter:1993-07-30
Address of author:Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Date of event:1941-07-27
Location of event:Chengdu City, Sichuan Province
Name of author:An Xuqing
Name(s) of victim(s):An Xuhong (An Xuqing’s father), An Xuqing’s sister
Type of atrocity:Air Bombings (AB)
Other details:My father was injured, and my sister, who was entering university, was killed in a mass bombing.
Comrade Tong Zeng:
Hello!
Soon after receiving your letter, when we just were preparing to write a reply letter, we also received a letter from Comrade Wu Peng dated July 27, first I would like to thank you for your care and guidance!
I immediately followed your guidance and drafted a Claim for Damage Compensation by Chinese Private Individuals, today I mailed it to the Japanese Embassy in China via express mail, I also posted a copy to you, please check it, meanwhile I also attached a list of signatures. I also wrote a letter to Comrade Wu Peng to notify him of the number of our express mail (No. 0877), please rest assured, everything has been done according to your instructions.
We propose to gather together in Beijing if there is a chance, so as to exchange views, enhance friendship, or denounce Japanese invasion crimes in China or overseas.
Regards
Yours faithfully
An Xuqing
1993.7.30
Claim for Damage Compensation from Japan by Chinese Private Individuals
The Japanese Government:
It was the noon of July 27, 1941, the 108 bombers of Japanese militarism flew to the space of towns without any resistance ability, perpetrated indiscriminate bombing, from Niushikou, Dongda Street, Dongxu Street, Citang Street, Shaocheng Park (now People’s Park) until Jinhe Street, namely from Old East Gate to New West Gate throughout the whole city, all streets were immersed in black smoke, houses crumbled, rubbles covered the ground, everything were reduced to debris. Back then, flames roared high into the sky, and lasted several days, the disembodied bodies of thousands of innocent civilians were exposed on the street side, hands, legs, heads and innards and intestines were suspended on trees and house beams, human bodies were littered all over the street, blood ran into streams, the survivors’ cries shook the whole city, millions of civilians lost their lives and properties in an instant, it was really an extremely horrible scene. And this is the facts of the towering crimes of Japanese invasion in China, the evidences are irrefutable.
Back then my family was living at 90 Jinhe Street, my father died early, we are the direct victims, my mother Du Qionghua was a high school teacher, and supported the whole family, she passed away in 1976 due to illness. On July 27, 1941, when she was hiding from the Japanese bombing in the garden of our home, her leg was wounded by shrapnel, hospital treatment and repair of houses needed a large amount of money, whereas it also affected her work and income, which brought immeasurable loss and difficulty to the life of the whole family. What’s more painful is that my elder sister An Xuhong was then 19, and was a high school student ready to graduate and enroll into university, she was innocently killed by bombing, thus terminating the prime of youth and her previous life, her death brought not only economic loss to my family since the previous efforts in bringing her up was totally wasted, what’s more it left eternal grief in our hearts due to the huge magnitude of the inestimable loss. We hate the Japanese militarism to the bone, this debt of blood has not been paid for more than half a century, when can it be repaid and how can we denounce the viciously evil crimes? We are willing to use real facts, and irrefutable evidences to join the victim signature solicitation activity. We also demand compensation for the above-mentioned huge loss for RMB 300000 yuan only.
On August 15, 1945, the WWII, at Asian battleground, the war of invasion waged by Japan ended, Japan surrendered as a defeated country, according to articles of international law, Yalta Agreement, Cairo Declaration, and Potsdam Proclamation, the defeated country which waged the war of invasion must assume responsibility for the compensation of the people of the victim country. Consequently, as a defeated country that waged war against China, Japan must unconditionally perform the duty to compensate all losses sustained by Chinese victims, it is totally reasonable and perfectly justified. In March and April 1992, on the excuse of the Chinese people’s kind generosity, broadmindedness, and lofty virtue, and maintaining global peace by uniting the defeated neighbor country, with consideration to Japan’s difficult circumstances, the leaders of the Chinese government indicated to abandon the demand for Japan to give about USD 120 billion as compensation for the loss of the war against China. However, there is no limitation on the movements of the demand for compensation by Chinese private victims, they can directly demand Japan to compensate the losses. Additionally, it has been learned that Japan has compensated losses to expatriate victims in the USA and Canada. Therefore the huge loss of our Chinese people victims, this debt of blood, a non-ending debt delayed for half a century, is not finished, and must be repaid, otherwise there will be no reconciliation.
We specially request the Japanese government must assume responsibility, and give the matter serious consideration, in order to promote further development of the normalization of diplomatic relation between China and Japan, and cooperate for mutual assistance to invigorate economic construction, so as to further deepen the emotional tie between the neighboring Chinese and Japanese people, let’s join hands to together remove the wound, indignation, and hatred left behind by the history!
Victim’s direct blood relative, Chinese citizen An Xuqing
Correspondence address: 21 Zhongxin Street, Chegndu, Sichuan Province China
Chengdu Power Supply Bureau Science & Technology Association
Postal code: 610016
July 30, 1993
