Date of letter:1993-02-28
Address of author:Nanning City, Guangxi Province
Date of event:1939-1942
Location of event:Fuzhou City, Fujian Province
Name of author:Ji Lici
Name(s) of victim(s):Ji Lici and his townsmen
Type of atrocity:Air Bombings, Others, Biological/Chemical Warfare(AB, OT, BC)
Other details:In November 1939, Fuzhou received bombing by the Japanese Army, which killed one person; my family’s houses were destroyed. In 1940 my fiancé met Japanese soldiers on the street; she was stripped and hung on a tree upside down to receive humiliation, till half dead. As she felt too shameful to see others, she jumped into the river and committed suicide. In September 1942, many people became ill, and more than one thousand people died; according to diagnosis they were infected by plague.
Respected Tong Zeng, Chen Jian, Yangyi, Li Chengyi, and Tang Xing,
After reading the “Digest Weekly” I learned that you cherished strong sense of national mission and bitter hatred toward the invasion and ravage afflicted by the Japanese Militarism toward countries in Southeast Asia, you tirelessly and repeatedly upheld justice for score after score of Chinese people killed and persecuted by the Japanese Invasion Army in those years (during the eightyear Anti-Japanese War), so as to air grievance and demand justice for myself and those people, we know through your effort, who have suffered along with people receiving inhuman treatment across China, I myself and all friends I know feel extremely grateful; in fact you people are indisputably the Lord Bao (Bao Gong) of today (21st century). In the future if we can indeed compel the Japanese Emperor and its government premier to retrospect, see the error of the past and repent, and give corresponding compensation to the disaster-afflicted Chinese people (and people in Southeast Asian countries), I and my fellow victims that I know will surely be grateful to you gentlemen and will return your favor with generous gift, my sincere words. Therefore, I formally demand RMB 475000 yuan of compensation from the incumbent Japanese government, so as to comfort the soul of my dead wife, and compensate for the loss of destroyed house, and the huge medical expenses I myself had incurred due to the bubonic plague, such claim of mine does not stem from any material desire, instead it comes from a heart filled with truth and understanding of the essence of life.
Respected gentlemen: Since August 1945 when the Japanese Emperor announced unconditional surrender to all countries worldwide, we victims and our family members should originally immediately demand the Japanese government to directly repay life and property loss in the 1940’s and 1950’s; only that Premier Zhou proposed to exempt its war compensation in consideration of the aim to improve relationship between neighboring countries, the fact that after the war Japan was impoverished, common civilians depended on street charity porridge for living, and the focus on liberation undertaking of the working people worldwide; Even though the fire of anger toward the Japanese Army is constantly burning in our heart, we will reserve the right of demanding civilian damage compensation,and patiently succumb to the arrangements of the state government, temporarily suppressing our anger. In recent years, Japan has leaped forward to become a global economic power, and dispatched troops overseas to interfere with internal affairs of other countries, we victims of a victory country being invaded should naturally have the right to obtain compensation (today those comfort women of Southeast Asian countries and North and South Korea all have claimed compensation).
Respected gentlemen: In that year a young life in my family was lost (my wife), my home was destroyed in bombing, and I narrowly missed death as a victim of the Japanese bacteria bomb containing bubonic plague, a survivor after being listed as beyond treatment and dragged into mortuary, I incurred owned a large sum of medical expense to the Medical Department of Christian University (back then the drugs were mainly gold-like precious sulfanilamide tablet and penicillin), afterwards it was rumored that back then Dr. Fielding concocted large dose drugs into paste like liquid and poured down throats of patients, which gave a glimpse of the huge cost. In view of the above, I hereby formally demand the incumbent Japanese government to compensate for the above three losses cost RMB 475,000 yuan (or about USD 52800) to comfort the soul of my dead wife and compensate for all the hardships my family (there are still three brothers and three sisters in my hometown) and myself had suffered in those years; such claim of mine does not stem from any material desire, instead it comes from a heart filled with truth and understanding of the essence of life. Respected gentlemen: It was reported that through your active efforts, the Seventh National People’s Congress has listed this proposal into formal meeting agenda, and would negotiate with Japanese Embassy in China, it is believed that the civilian loss compensation will be fulfilled, the incumbent Japanese government would offer payment based on humanitarian principle. In case it ignores and refuses international law and established guideline, what does the unconditional surrender of the Japanese Emperor Hirohito in that year mean? Suppose, we victims in Guangxi and Fujian kick off victim signature campaign, and deliver it to you to join your collection of nationwide signatures, and submit to the Hague Tribunal for deliberation and ruling, could you please tell me is it appropriate, I will greatly appreciate your instructions in this aspect.
Regards
Sincerely yours!
Victim of the Anti-Japanese War Ji lici
Guangxi Nanchong City 21st High School
1993.2.28
Demanding the Japanese government to compensate for loss caused by 8 year war
Indictment of hatred with blood and tear
Recalling the cruel barbarian methods adopted by the Japanese Invasion Army when invading Fujian Province, hatred runs wild I can’t control my anger any longer. Chinese people suffered from humiliation, trampling and ravage by the Japanese Invasion Army, thousands and millions of families were broken up, lives perished, wives were estranged and children went missing, thousands and millions of bodies littered the field, jackals and wolves went rampant, countless orphans wandered homelessly on the street, numerous widowers and seniors breathed feebly before death. God! Our Chinese people and the Japanese people share the same ancestry——descendants of Yan and Huang, why inflict such big disaster on the Chinese people? Isn’t it irreconcilable enemy, and deep animosity and hatred!
At 2 o’clock one afternoon in November, 1939, all of a sudden siren shrieked in Fuzhou City, students and teachers of our school immediately dispersed on the mountain top outside the mountain (back then I studied at Fuzhou Hongshan Bridge Jijiuling Xiehe Vocational School), one to two minutes later two aircrafts came from Mawei sea area and hovered above two or three circles in the air, one aircraft dived toward the direction of our school, and dropped two bombs, one hit the teaching building, and instantly destroyed most of the building, (Note 1), another bomb hit my home near the school, the wood board house collapsed, all furniture items indoor were destroyed (back then I lived near the school, and made a living by washing clothes for students), meanwhile it killed one pedestrian, but key vital sites such as nearby telecommunication bureau were unscathed. Afterwards we could not study at the school, I had no home to live in, I felt extremely indignant.
As the ancient saying goes: “Blessings never come in pairs, misfortunes never come singly”, half a year later (during May 1940), several hundred Japanese marine corps took ship to go upstream along Minjiang River from Mawei sea area, they only met slight resistance along the way (KMT Army retreated again and again), and easily occupied Fuzhou downtown area (it is about 9 km from Mawei Port to Fuzhou downtown area), after landing, before deploying garrison troops, the Japanese Army first intruded into shops, restaurants and civilian houses to grab food like hungry ghosts, then blockaded the city zone (the puppet provincial government and all administration organs had already fled all counties in northwestern Fujian province). After two to three days when things settled down, pedestrians appeared on the streets, one afternoon my fiancée (only 17) carried a bamboo strip basket to go to the marketplace to buy vegetables, while walking on the street, because she didn’t bow to the Japanese sentry, Bagayaro! A couple of beast-like invader soldiers came up and dragged her to under the tree on the ridge side, they stripped her and tied up her legs with straw rope and hanged her upside down on the tree branch, and pushed a lit candle into her lower body to display in the public, it was not until the candle burned out that she was lowered down, weak beyond description, and regained consciousness soon afterwards, young as she was, she felt too shameful to face anybody, and moved toward Hongshan Bridge along the bank of Minjiang River. Afterwards according to witnesses, they seemed to see a dementia girl walk to the river side and kowtowed to the sky and earth, after that she jumped into the river, back then, some kind-hearted people wanted to save her on a boat, but the current was rapid, meanwhile they feared that nearby Japanese soldiers might open fire, so they abandoned the effort, on the second day the body floated on the river near Saiqi Town (about 30 km from Hongshan Bridge); witnessing my dead lover, I was overwhelmed with sorrow, I vowed to avenge the debt of blood for my wife. (Note 2)
In September 1942, I was a second-year university student (Christian University was relocated from Fuzhou to Shaowu County), one day, the Japanese aircrafts hovered above the county town and dropped wheat straw, and rice straw, which were strewn inside and outside the city, back then the Health Department of the Puppet Government ordered collection and incineration (but not entirely), three and four days later many households found droves of rats came out to drink water during the day, one week later, many young and old people in the whole county developed fever; back then the health department determined it as bubonic plague after lab test, but there was few drugs (back then sulfanilamide tablet, penicillin, only limited export, its price was as high as gold). Within a matter of several days, the whole county had more than 1000 deaths, our university adopted the most stringent prevention and treatment measures, but still had several dozen plague patients, I was one of them, the university authority spared no money (eating sulfanilamide was like eating gold), and saved lives vigorously. In fact, back then I was listed as beyond treatment and sent from isolation ward to the mortuary, but several hours later my breathing did not totally stop, the school physician (chief physician) Dr. Fielding relented, and instructed to take me back and give me drug for observation (Note 3). It was a stroke of luck by God, I narrowly missed death. Despite huge investment by the university (until I graduated in 1946 and worked for two years till July 1948, I only repaid about 2/3 drug fee to the hospital side, still owed the school a sum of money till today, despite the 40 years time, each time when I remembered this, my heart felt as if being carved by knife). Back then 6~7 persons died in our school, most of them were fourth year students scheduled to graduate soon (because most went outside to do experiments). From this point it can be inferred how horrible the Japanese Invasion Army was, the killing devils including Yasuji OKAMURA (highest commander of the Japanese Invasion Army), both their hands were tainted with the blood of Chinese people, we firmly demand the international court to sentence Yasuji OKAMURA and others to death sentence, and firmly demand the Japanese Emperor and the incumbent Japanese government to compensate for my home and myself RMB 475,000 yuan (Note 4), this is the minimum estimate price, namely the cost of one life and the expense of house furniture and my personal medical expense etc), and I hope the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, Red Cross Society and the International Law Research Society to adhere to principle and uphold justice, bring benefit to the disaster suffered by the Chinese people in those years, and vent the grievance, restore international justice. (The End)
Appendix:
Note 1: 4-storey teaching building (western style) and all laboratory facilities of the school were destroyed, back then the school authority identified the loss was up to USD 100,000 above.
Note 2: At that time driven by grief and indignation, I decisively abandoned study and (as temporary dropout) joined the Youth Expedition Force, fought shoulder to shoulder with the British Army at the Dianmian Highway, aiming to prevent the Japanese Army from entering Southeast Asia.
Note 3: It was reported that the school physician used large dosage treatment method, they concocted massive amount of sulfanilamide into paste, and poured it into mouth and down the esophagus, in this way some teachers and students were saved, but the school side spent a lot of money, and the burden was very heavy (back then this drug was extremely expensive), fortunately this school was hosted by the church, which had extensive sources of expenses.
Note 4: The compensation fee is about USD 52800, it is the minimum estimate, and it is not expected to be lower than this figure.