Date of letter:1993-11-04
Address of author:Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
Date of event:1943-11-04
Location of event:Yongan City, Fujian Province
Name of author:Gao Xiongfei
Name(s) of victim(s):Gao Xiongfei and his mother
Type of atrocity:Air Bombings (AB)
Other details:I sent a letter of claim to the Japanese embassy last year, but I have not received a reply up to know. I will always insist on the claim. In November 4, 1943, the Japanese army bombed Yongan, my mother Shao Zhuhua and I lost the right arm in the bombing.
Mr. Tong Zeng:
Hello!
I saw the “Directory of Fellow Victims in Zhejiang Province”, in which I was listed first as fellow victim Gao Xiongfei.
There are two things I want to notify you:
Firstly, on November 4 last year (1993), I wrote a second letter to the Japanese Embassy in China to demand compensation. (Please see the attached copy, Hangzhou 096 Office 0433#, 1993.11.4). Up untill now, the Japanese Embassy has never given any reply. I had to make inquiry through mail tracking ofreceipt 042, which shows “collected with the reception seal of the Japanese Embassy in China” on November 8, 1993. This proves the Japanese Embassy has indeed received the letter, but either failed to reply or wasstill ignoring the claims today.
After all, this is expected. By doing so, at least it indicates we Chinese citizens never stopped the claim action. I basically have prepared to write at least one letter each year to demand compensation, and keep a copy of these materials for future publication, and give them to our descendents to read, let them understand what Japan is!!!
Secondly, about the Directory of Fellow Victims, please change my address. The reason is: This address is the address on the ID card ten years ago. It has been changed four times due to dormitory adjustments. Mails to above address can hardly reach me. My latest address is: “405#, Zone 4, Unit 1, Building 3, Cuiyuan Residential Quarters, Wenyi Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province 310012” Telephone: 0571-8081741#.
Thirdly, regarding “Proposal on Demanding Damage Compensation from Japan”.,we fellow victims will give full support. The challenge now is the need for support by many delegates of the “Second Assembly”! The convincing work may not be done overnight. Not knowing the attitude of many delegates, it seems necessary to mobilize many people for lobbying!
Fourthly, fellow victims in our Hangzhou City have established initial mutual contacts!
Fifthly, I mailed you the first letter on June 9, 1992, Registered 0434#
I mailed you a second letter on December 31, 1992, Registered 0034#
(Enclosed is the first claim letter to Japan, as well as letters to Li Peng and Jiang Zemin and materials for mailing to Japan)
Today’s letter is the third one. The materials can be combined with the previous ones. Some other materials will be mailed to you when ready. They may be useful in the future.
The “Second Assembly” will soon start. I sincerely hope to see progress!
Wish you all he best
Sincerely yours!
Claimer: Gao Xiongfei
March 1, 1994
This is the second claim letter mailed to the Japanese Embassy, (093 Office) 5433# 1993.11.4. It can be put together with 0034# material dated December 31, 1992, which contains the first claim letter 0069#
Newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro HOSOKAWA:
First, allow me to express my sincere congratulations to you for becoming the new Prime Minister of Japan!
I am Gao Xiongfei, a Chinese citizen, male, 54, associate professor.
Today is November 4, 1993. Fifty years ago, i.e. November 4, 1943, the invasion-obsessed Japanese government and the savage Japanese Invasion Army blatantly violated international law by dispatching 16 military aircrafts to Yong An City, the temporary capital of Fujian Province, and delivered a furious firestorm of bombardment that resulted in the “Yong An Disaster” incident, which sent shocking waves across the world.
Both my mother Ms. Shao Zhuhua and myself lost our right arms in this bombing, resulting in permanent disability and lifelong suffering. Today marks the 50th memorial for the deceased compatriots of “Yong An Incident”, and the 50th anniversary of the tragedy for my mother and myself.
We Chinese people cannot be humiliated. We will never forget the debt of blood owed to our compatriots by the Japanese Imperialism fifty years ago!
Today, I again gravely address you, and through you address the Japanese government and Japanese Emperor Akihito to express strong indignation from our whole family and the community residents toward your country’s past invasion.. We firmly demand the Japanese government to compensate the damages to family due to lost lives, physical injuries, and loss of property.
On October 5, last year, on the occasion of the first time visit to China by your Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, I wrote a letter to the Japanese Ambassador to China Hiroshi HASHIMOTO, and requested him to forward our letters demanding damage compensation due to lost lives, physical injury, and lost property as a result of your invasion, as well as all the documents, materials and photos to the Emperor and your government. Your country’s embassy in China collected this registered mail on October 26, 1992 by “Receipt of Japanese Embassy in China” (Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 96 Post Office, No. 0069). Your Embassy’s Secretary Mr. Ishikawa and Mr. Lin of the Political Department also replied after our repeated telephone inquiries that they have received our claim letters demanding claim, and had forwarded them to the Political Department of the Embassy for processing.
In the claim letter, I have attached partial historical evidences, photos and circumstantial evidences; therefore today I will not again attach the documents and evidences that were presented last time!
In the claim letter last year, I have made three requests to your government and the Emperor. The third one is that your government should give my family a clear reply within one month after receiving the letter. If you indeed want to settle the problem, this is not a difficult thing to do. Your government is slow to give reply. Does your government plan to totally ignore it?!
Today, more than one year has passed, you have given us no reply. Does it mean your government is afraid of facing facts, and wants to use false “China Japan friendship” to cheat people in China and Japan?!
Your government claims to safeguard democracy andlegal system, respect human rights, and maintain global peace. But you are slow to give any attention and compensation to the Chinese people who have suffered during the WWII due to your invasion into China. How do you explain this?! How do you give any explanation in front of all the peace-loving people worldwide?!
Today, our whole family again announce to your government: We firmly demand damage compensation to my family in accordance with international law and international common practice.
There are two old sayings in China: “Debts of blood must be paid in blood!” “Debt must be paid”. Your negligence toward the civilian victims will in no way be accepted. Early compensation is better than late compensation! You can look at the German government which offered compensation to the people who had suffered in the neighboring countries during the WWII. In this way, they obtained forgiveness of the people around the world. Could your government follow the practice of German government?!
In order to uphold justice, fundamental human rights, and the dignity of the Chinese people, and to educate today’s Japanese youths and a few obdurate Japanese officials to recognize the towering crimes committed by the Japanese militarism sixty years ago against the Chinese people and people worldwide, and thereby preserve the solemn international law and ensure long-lasting friendship between Chinese and Japanese people for generations to come, it is necessary to confront the facts in front of us, and properly handle lingering unpleasant incidents in the aftermath of history.
Today, let us repeat the three previous requests:
(I). The Japanese government must offer formal apology on news media as well as in person to our home , in particular to console my 82 years old mother Ms. Shao Zhuhua who is still alive but in declining health.
(II). Regarding the damages our family has received mentally, physically and materially, we demand compensation in specific amount, so as to express your sincerity in admitting the crime. Please also reimburse all expenses spent by my family members and me for handling this matter both domestically and internationally.
(III). In view of the above facts and reasonable demand, after review by the Japanese government, please give my family a concrete reply within one month.
My home correspondence address is: “Room 405, Unit 1, Building 3, Zone 4 of Cuiyuan Xintun, Wenyi Road, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, 310012,”. Tel: “0086-571-8081741#”.
Sincerely yours
Wish the Prime Minister healthy!
Chinese citizen Gao Xiongfei (name seal)
A victim of the Japanese Invasion War in China during the WWII
Hangzhou China
November 4, 1993
Note: About historical evidence, certificate, photo, and circumstantial evidences for the claim, all have been mailed to your embassy in the letter of October 20!
This is the copy of the second claim letter mailed to the Japanese Embassy at the time of mailing! Below is the receipt of the Japanese Embassy!
