Sino-Japan tensions rise over China's Nanjing Massacre memory application

(chinadaily)TensionsbetweenthetwoAsiangiants,ChinaandJapan,arerunninghighaftertheJapanesegovernmenttriedtoblockChina'sapplicationtoUNESCOtolistdocumentsrelatingtothe1937NanjingMassacreand"comfortwomen",orthe200, 000sexslavestakenbyJapanesetroopsduringWorldWarII,intheMemoryoftheWorldprogram.

OnSunday,UNESCO'sInternationalAdvisoryCommitteest

art

edtoreview88nominationsfromallovertheworldfortheprograminAbuDhabi,thecapitaloftheUnitedArabEmirates.AccordingtoaJapanesenewspaperAsahiShimbun,JapanlodgedprotestsagainsttwoChinesenominationsthroughtheJapaneseembassybeforeandduringthemeeting.

ThenewspaperwrotethatJapanhadmadeamendsforwhathappenedduringthewar,andChinaignoredrepeatedpleasfromtheJapanesegovernment,addingthatJapanesePrimeMinisterShinzoAbeandForeignMinisterFumioKishidaalsoexpressedconcernsaboutthenominationtotheUNESCOsecretariat.

Meanwhile,ChinastressesJapan'sfailuretosufficientlyatoneforthesufferingitcausedduringthewar.Tosupportitsviewpoint,

Beijing

pointsoutthatseveralJapaneseleadersstillvisittheYasukuniShrine,whichhonors2.5millionJapanesewardead,includingwarcriminalsandwarnsrepeatedlyofJapan'srevivedmilitarism.

ChinaannouncedthatitwassendinganapplicationtoUNESCOtolistdocumentsconcerningthe1937NanjingMassacreandthesufferingof"comfortwomen"inlastJune.ThedocumentssubmittedtoUNESCOareallfirst-handmaterialsandaredividedintothreecategories:papers,photosand

film

footage,sayChinesearchivists.

AccordingtoHuaChunying,China'sForeignMinistryspokeswoman,Chinasubmittedthedocuments"topreventthemiserableanddarkdaysfromcomingbackagain".

InadditiontoChina,SouthKoreaisalsoconsideringsubmittingdocumentsabout"comfortwomen"andforcedlaborersfromtheKoreanPeninsuladuringthewartotheMemoryoftheWorldproject.

TheJapanesegovernmenthasconstantlydemonstratedanegativeattitudetowardsthis.AsearlyaslastJune,YoshihideSuga,JapaneseChiefCabinetSecretary,protestedChina'ssubmissionandaskedChinatocancelitsapplication.AtanewsconferencelastFriday,SugadeclinedtocommentonwhetherJapanhadtriedtocontactcommitteemembers.

"WhenJapanandChinaaremakingeffortstoimproverelations,ChinaistryingtouseUNESCOforapoliticalpurposeanditisquiteregrettable,"hesaid,quotedbytheKyodonewsagency.match

KyodoNewsAgencyalsoreportedonSundaythatsomeJapaneseofficialsquestionedtheauthenticityofdocumentsChinasubmitted,andaskedChinatowithdrawtheapplication,buttheywererejectedbyChina.

Startedin1992,UNESCO'sMemoryoftheWorldprogramisaninternationalinitiativelaunchedtosafeguardthedocumentaryheritageofhumanityagainstcollectiveamnesia,neglect,theravagesoftimeandclimaticconditions,andwillfulanddeliberatedestruction.Itcallsforthepreservationofvaluablearchivalholdings,librarycollectionsandprivateindividualcompendiaallovertheworldforposterity,thereconstitutionofdispersedordisplaceddocumentaryheritage,andtheincreasedaccessibilitytoanddisseminationoftheseitems.

Sofar,therearenineChineseheritagesintheMemoryoftheWorldlist,includingAncientNaxiDongbaLiteratureManuscripts,BenCaoGangMu(CompendiumofMateriaMedica),GoldenListsoftheQingDynastyImperialExamination,HuangDiNeiJing(YellowEmperor'sInnerCanon),OfficialRecordsofTibetfromtheYuanDynastyChina(1304-1367),QiaopiandYinxinCorrespondenceandRemittanceDocumentsfromOverseasChinese,QingDynastyYangshiLeiArchives,RecordsoftheQing'sGrandSecretariat(InfiltrationofWesternCultureinChina),andTraditionalMusicSoundArchives.