Date of letter:1992-012-09
Address of author:Dantu County, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu
Date of event:1942-07, 1943-09, 1944
Location of event:Xuancheng City, Anhui
Name of author:Zhou zhaoshun
Name(s) of victim(s):Zhou Zhengbao（Zhou zhaoshun’s uncle）, Ruan Ruinan（Zhou Zhaoshun‘s grandfather）, Zhou Zhengyuan（Zhou Zhaoshun’s father）
Type of atrocity:Murders, Others（MU, OT）
Other details:In 1942 my uncle was tragically cut open in the belly, with his heart cut out, fried and eaten because he wounded a Japanese soldier. In 1943 when my grandfather passed by a Japanese blockhouse, a big wolfhound was sent out biting my grandfather into a bloody mess. In 1944 my father was suspected of being a spy and relentlessly tortured. Our family property was all burned. The Japanese government must compensate for these losses. Attached are supporters’ signature.
Comrade Tong Zeng:
Hello!
Comrade Li Peiyu: in reading the “Civilian Claim Tide” authored by you on the 10th issue of “Digest Monthly” 1992, I sincerely admire your patriotic spirit, patriotic courage, and patriotic action. You personally delivered petition to the National People’s Congress, wrote letter to the Japanese Prime Minister, and travelled far and wide to drum up support, and delivered speeches across China. Your complete dedication and undaunted benevolent actions are indeed very moving.
Nevertheless, it’s a pity that I read your actions too late, if I had read your article in 1991, I would have shown response and follow the tide, because I’m also a descendent of Emperor Yan and Huang, and a heir of the Dragon, I also have a body flowing with warm blood, a heart throbbing with sincerity, and a rush of ardent enthusiasm, Today I mail my humble article “Claim is fully justified, compensation brooks no delay” to you, which represents my support to your benevolent action, and my request for your instruction and guidance.
Here, I sincerely request you: Spare time from your busy schedule, and write me a letter to instruct me, for which I will personally feel profoundly grateful, and engrave it deeply on my heart. If you need my meager contribution, I will gladly offer help without any hesitation.
I am looking forward to your reply.
Regards
Wish you all the best!
Zhou Zhaoshun
Jiangsu Province Dantu County Dongchuan High School
December 9, 1992
Claim is fully justified, compensation brooks no delay
The damages inflicted by the Japanese Invasion War to Chinese civilians are incalculable. During the 14 years from 1931 to 1945 the Japanese Army’s atrocities in China are innumerable.
Since the 18th century, the mankind society has developed the concept of “defeated nation which wages invasion war must pay compensation to all victorious nations” within the scope of international law.
Now, nearly half a century has passed, Chinese civilian’s demand for compensation from the Japanese government is fully justified, the calamity sustained by our ancestors cannot be conveyed in words, and the loss brought to us middle aged generation is also tremendous. My father, if still alive today, would be 84, my uncle would be 81, and grandfather would be 99 year old.
In July 1942, my uncle Zhou Zhengbao was stabbed in belly and removed heart for frying before being eaten by the Japanese Army in Guangde Anhui, in that year he was only 39, and died tragically for injuring a Japanese soldier. In September 1943 my maternal grandfather Ruan Ruinan, then aged 56, passed the Yaoqiao Xiao’an Gun Turret in Dantu, Jiangsu, he was attacked by Japanese military hounds, his wounds made him bed-ridden for more than one year, in 1944 my father Zhou Zhengyuan was captured as a spy in Fanjiaji, Yangzhou, by the Japanese Army, and tortured on torture rack to taste all kinds of torments, three thatched houses in my home, including bedd, cabinets and furniture were all set on fire. These disasters are enough to make me feel immeasurably indignant and grieved.
This year I’m a 46 year old middle-aged man, now teaching Chinese in a rural high school. In August 1991, 108 Chinese citizens including Tong Zeng, Chen Jian, Yang Yi, Li Chengyi, Tang Yinwu delivered a petition demanding Japan to pay USD 180 billion of damage compensation to the then Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, this year after I read this petition to my friends and my students, everyone became burning with righteous indignation, and showed whole-hearted endorsement, and full support, within a matter of several days, I obtained signatures of four hundred and twenty nine people. (from students of eight classes and friends and their proxies.)
Everyone unanimously agreed that the claim is fully justified, compensation brooks no delay.
Japan is a big economic power, and has sufficient means to pay compensation. It would be unreasonable if we demanded the Japanese side to pay compensation in 1945, but after 47 years, such request from us is fully justified.
From October 23 to 28 this year, the Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko paid a formal friendly visit to China in response to invitation, both sides indicated that: Chinese and Japanese peoples should live in friendship from generation to generation, we completely agree with such view. Nevertheless, we Chinese consider that if the Japanese side sincerely wants to share long-lasting friendship with Chinese people for generations to come, it should naturally pay USD 180 billion of civilian damage compensation, the sooner the better, this is because saying sweet words for one month is less convincing than doing one real thing.
Zhou Zhaoshun
Jiangsu Province Dantu County Dongchuan High School
1992.12.9
Postal code: 212136
Xu Wenjing Ju Meijuan Wang Yanqin Wang Yaqin
Zhu Wenzhong Wang Xiaojun Gong Ruiping Wang Tao
Hong Yun Li Wenfeng Zhu Weiping Wang Qiujin
Wang Wu Zhang Weifeng Hong Lijuan Zhu Pinghua
Wan Zhen Zhang Jun WangWeixing Zhong Hongyi
Tao Ye Yao Liangwei Yao Junwei Wang Zhengqiu
Tian Suqin Wang Jun Sun Qun Hong Jun
Wang Hongxing Xu Haijun Zhu Chunhua Chen Ying
Wang Hongjing Zhu Yueghong Wang Ming Wu Yan
Chen Yi Zhu Jianjun Wang Fakun Zhang Ping
Li Hongxia Dai Xiaohong He Shiqing Yao Jianlin
Dai Peifeng Zhang Guangjun Wang Zhiming Wang Keqing
Yao Niangeng Wang Jianjun Zhang Na Zhang Jiaqi
Wang Xiaoqing Leng Xisong Leng Jingsoong Wang Xiaorong Wang Yun
Totaling 57 persons
Tian Haiying Hua Sheng Wang Juan Gu zhujun
Zhang Hongyan Zhou Jing Xu Haiyan Yang Ruiping
Shu Aiping Gu Xiaoyan Yao Xiaojuan Qin Li
Li Xuwen Wang Yinfeng Gao Cuilan Leng Guoping
Gu Xiaoyun Shen Jianping Yang Ruilong
Tian Haixia Wei Haijun Gu Zhuping Sun Jianhua
Gao Hong Leng Xiangmei Zuo Guoxian Yao Meiqin
Xie Qiaosheng Zhang Xuan Tian Guihua Wang Jianzhong
Wang Zhendong Wang Zhiyong Liu Qiuyan Li Jinshun
Dai Qi Zhang Jing Zhang Hongying Xu Xinghua
Leng Yuefei Wang Lu Wang Hongxia Yang Quanzhong
Zuo Yefei Yu Fengdan Wang Guolan Jin Xiaozhou
Zhang Yu Li Jun Tao Huajun Tang Yuehua
Zhong Yaping Wang Wei
Totaling 53 persons
Xu Meihua Zhu Ping Fei Aihua Wang Qin Yao Jingqiu 106 persons
Jia Dongsheng Yao Jing Huang Yunhong Yao Qiuhong Wang Jinxia
Zhong Weixing Gao Zhimin Yao Ming Hong Weihua Qin Xia Zhuang Qingyan
Wang Yanqin Yao Zhiwei Yao Zhenhua Zhu Xiaohong Zhu Honghua
Zhang Xiaolei Yao Zhaoxia Kuang Li Wang Peiqing Zhu Qun
Xu Haixia Zhu Jianjun Feng Yan Wang Fei Shu Xilin Yuan Xiaohong
Zhao Haiping Yao Lingqing Gao Hongyu Wang Caijun Wang Wei Li Xiaoshuang
Zhu Ying Shu Yu Yao Jingqi Yao Guoying Yao Jing Leng Bing Zhou Haolian
Huang Caiyun Yao Haijun Yao Haishi Yao Xiujuan Yao Meijuan
Zhu Jian Wang Hua Wang Xiaoying Zhong Xia Sun Hongying Zhu Linghua Zhang Rongjun
Tang Yucheng Jia Min Gao Jun Tang Dongming Yang Chunhong Fan Jianfeng
Fan Jianyun Yao Xinyu Hu Hong Yao Xinhua Yi Xiuhong Yao Xueli
Wang Liu Zhou Qin Wang Zhenlei Feng Hao Dong Zhiwu Wang Zhi’e
Wang Zhiqiang Wang Xiaojuan Yao Yufeng Tao Chengqi Tao Chengsha Yao Tao
Chen Sha Yao Jianmei Hong Jing Yao Chunhong Yao Fuhua Zhu Qiang
Hu Fengqin Yao Ping Sun Jianwei Yao Jianbing Yao Jun Yao Enwei
Yao Xiaotie Zhu Jing Wang Ting Sun Xiaobing Sun Xiaohong Li Dashuang
Zhu Jing Lu Yan Xu Qin Shen Jie Gu Xiaohong Gu Huimin Wang Yinfen
Gao Cuizhu Mu Yun Zhu Guozhi Li Rongjian Zhang Yuxia Yao Qin
Gao Feng Yao Hongshu Chen Xiaoyan Zhu Shuhong Zhong Zhiewi Yao Qun
Yao Xiaoyan Shu Yan Zhu Jian Yao Xingliang Meng Yanxia Shu Yuhan
Zhu Xiaoying Zhang Limei Ding Hongjuan Wang Feng Lu Xiaoli Chen Jing
Wang Zhixian Yao Xiangdi Wang Xin Leng Junhui Chen Haiyan Chen Yan
Jia Hongfeng Dong Xiaobing Fan Silu Zhong Ning Shu Hong Yao Yuqin
Sun Hongxia Liu Liming
Lian Hong Gao Ling Yao Yu Yao Gang Shen Xiaoqin Yao Chunlei
Yuans Shengguo Zhang Minglong Chen Wei Xu Xiaojian Yang Qin Zhang Qin
Li Dan Zhang Yi Zhu Lihong Jiang Jing
Xu Zhijian Yao Chen Yao Zhen Wang Li Wang Jing Zhu Liling
Yao Yonghong Li Hui Gao Junzhen Yao Xiaohui Zhong Yumin
Yan Zhenghong Xu Jun Xu Saihua Gao Xuefeng Zhuang Hongxiang
Zhong Jianwen Zhang Rongjian Zhang Mingxian Chen Yao Yun Xia
Wang Chen Zhang Yuchun Wu Zhiqin Yu Qiuxiang Ding Jianzhong
Zhu Min Yao Weidong Yao Yan Shi wWenming Ding Jianbing
Chen Hongming Chen Min Yao Yu Zhang Mingwen Bao Xiaoli
Yao Yixiu Yao Xiuhua Bao Xiaoping
Sun Shuofeng Yao Liqing Yao Lingyun Bao Bing
Shi Lei Yao Guohjui Shi Aijun Song Cuiqin Sun Lei Lu Min
Tang Shuhua Tang Shuqin Totaling 107 persons
Wang Feihong You Meijuan You Fei Li Jun Zhu Pingyun Zuo Jinzhen Wang Wei min
Chen Feng Li Yajun Wang Jing Dai Aiming Chen Weiqin Dai Weihua Wang Haifeng
Wang Yewei Hong Qiang Li Meirong Shi hongyan Zhang Jinqin Yao Jianbing Wang Wenfeng
Wang Hongyan Zhang Yanhong Zhang Wei Cheng Gang Li Hongzhi
Wang Hongjuan Wang Zhipeng Chen Yunfeng Zhang Cui’e Wang Fen Zuo Yunxia
Dai Shaodong Wang Xinwei Zhu Xiaoxin Gao Jianzhong Gao Qingxia Gao Xiaohong Tang Lixia
Wang Lihong Leng Lanfang Yang Jianjun Shu Wenguo Mo Jianqing Zuo Yan
Wang Jing Dai Aixia Dai Jianyuan Dai Xiaojun 54 totaling persons
Relatives: Zhou Gangdi Zhou Shoulin Zhou Julan Zhou Fulan
Zhou Xiaolong Yang Shaoming Yang Yucheng Yang Yun Yang Yucheng
Yang Yuming Tan Heping Tan Wei Zhou Fuxiang Zhou Yan
Zhou Xiaming Zhou Liangming Ni Jing Ni Li Ni Cailu Li Ping
Zhou Xiqin Gu Xiaofang Gu Xiuqing Gu Yongsheng Gu Huiming
Gu Xiaoyan Gu Xiaohong Zhang Judi Wang Ruixiao Wang Hua
Gu Xuezhen Wang Yinfen Wang Yinfeng Gu Xiaoping Gu Xia
Zhu Minghai Zhu Xiaomin Xu Zhaolin Fan Longfu Fan Longxiang
Yao Jianhua Yao Yinlong Yao Shousheng Chen Daohong Yao Fuxi
Yao Shuchang Wei Rongfa Wei Ming Wang Meiqing Wei Jun
Yao Zhuanglong Yao Jiansheng Totaling 52 persons
