The Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Monday accepted a donation of 20 items, including combat dispatches, letters and newspapers, adding more proof that Japanese soldiers committed unspeakable atrocities in Nanjing in 1938.

 

The donation was made during the Nanjing International Peace Forum by 41-year-old Daito Satoshi, abbot of the Kyoto-based Enkoji Temple.

 

"These donations are very precious and provide new evidence of Japanese brutality in Nanjing," said Zhu Chengshan, head of the memorial hall, one of China's largest and most influential museums focused on the Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945).

 

Zhu identified the nine original combat dispatches as the most valuable items.

 

The reports detail how the 18th Division of the Japanese Army attacked and captured the city, and included records of the ensuing massacre, Zhu said.

 

"Although we also have some battlefield reports in our collection, they are all duplicates," Zhu said. "Confronted with these materials, I think Japanese right-wingers cannot deny history."

 

Another important donation was a postcard sent by a soldier with the Matsushima Troop to his family.

 

The postcard was sent on January 26, 1938, with a photo of Nanjing under Japanese occupation.

 

"The Matsushima Troop was the main force of the Nanjing Massacre, and this postcard is crucial proof to illustrate this point," Zhu said.

 

A board game called "Japanese peaceful competition," designed for children, was also among the donations.

 

The board shows a map of China and players put flags on the various cities to announce their "occupation."

 

"The game demonstrates the Japanese government's military indoctrinations of their children at that time," Satoshi said. The abbot has a collection of items evidencing Japanese war crimes in China and has already made several previous donations to the hall.

 

The Nanjing Massacre saw Japanese invaders in December of 1937 begin a killing spree that resulted in the murder of at least 300,000 civilians and disarmed soldiers in the city. Japanese soldiers often held killing contests with prizes given to the one who could murder the most civilians.

 

Despite the abundant available proof, right-winged Japanese continue to deny that the massacre took place and question the number of people who were butchered.

 

The memorial hall was opened to the public in 1985, with the aim of "revealing the truth to the world." Over the past 20 years, it has received 13.97 million visitors.

 

Currently, the 2.2-hectare memorial hall is being renovated. It is being expanded to cover 7.4 hectares. It will reopen on December 13 next year.

 

"There will be a display of documents, pictures and items showcasing the contributions the Kuomintang made during the eight-year anti-Japanese war," Zhu said.

 

China has more than 150 museums dedicated to preserving the memory of those who died and suffered during the Anti-Japanese War.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)