Overseas Chinese in Kobe hold rally on "Sept.18" Incident anniversary

Overseas Chinese in Japan's Kobe on September 18 held a grand "Sept.18" China-Japan friendship rally to mark the 60th anniversary of the victory of China's Anti-Japanese War and the anti-fascist war.

The rally was undertaken by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Kobe in collaboration with the Chinese Consulate General in Osaka, with the theme of "drawing lessons from history and opening the future." About 300 or so people including overseas Chinese, Chinese student representatives and friends from various Japanese circles in Kobe attended the rally.

The attendees first stood for one minute in silent tribute to the Asian victims in the invasion war waged by the Japanese militarism. Then Lin Tongchun, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Kobe, delivered a speech. He said the fact that so many people came to join the rally indicates that they all have an ardent love for peace and expect world peace.

Japanese veteran Kondo Hajime told of his own experiences when describing the inhumanity of the Japanese invasion of China. He said he began to receive militarism education when he was little and joined the war invading China as a soldier after growing up. He felt it inconceivable when he saw Japanese veterans killing Chinese women, but later became callous to killing Chinese himself. The Japanese militarism launched a brutal war against China, killed tens of millions of Chinese and victimized more than three million Japanese. Japan must profoundly reflect on and draw lessons from history in order to prevent repeat of the history.

Sponsors of the rally also showed videos that describe the truth of Japan's invasion of China and record Japanese veterans telling of the Nanjing Massacre.

By People's Daily Online