きょうは南京大虐殺を記憶する１２月１３日（１９３７年、南京城陥落の日）です。
きょう（現地時間の午後２時）済州島では寒空の下、アルドゥル飛行場跡の格納庫前で、市民たちが集い、南京大虐殺８４年を記憶し被害者を追悼する集会を行います。アルドゥル飛行場は日本軍の南京爆撃に使われました。植民地支配下の出来事で、韓国の人たちに加害責任はない（それどころか、飛行場など建設のために動員された被害者である）はずの南京爆撃と南京大虐殺に対し、道義的な責任を感じて追悼行事を毎年しているのです（２０１４年以来）。それにくらべて当の加害国の日本ではどれだけの人たちがこの日に南京に思いを馳せ、目を閉じ被害者を追悼するのでしょうか。南京爆撃には長崎の大村飛行場も起点となりました。長崎でこれを記憶し追悼する集会はあるのでしょうか。
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| 南京大虐殺８４年済州島での追悼「アルドゥルから眺める平和」 |
この追悼集会は２０１４年から行われていますが、２０１８年の夏に私が済州島に行って平和運動家の方々と交流したことがきっかけで、その後、済州島の南京大虐殺の追悼集会にカナダからのメッセージを送っています（英語で送り、韓国語で現地で読み上げてもらっています）。
今年のメッセージをここに貼り付けます。（英語ですが、日本語にするには、Deepl や Google の自動翻訳などを活用してください。）
A Solidarity Message to my friends in Jeju
This December marks the 84th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese POWs and civilians were unlawfully and brutally massacred, raped, and deprived, for weeks and months from the beginning of December 1937 till around the end of March 1938 under the occupation of the Imperial Japanese Army.
I have been to Nanjing twice. The first time was in 2007, for the 70th anniversary. What struck me was not just the experience of the special anniversary ceremony, but having opportunities to enjoy the rich historical and cultural heritage of Nanjing, such as the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Confucian Temple. This brought me to the realization of what Japanese militarism destructed, not only hundreds of thousands of Chinese people’s lives and women’s dignity, but also rich historical and cultural assets.
The second time was in 2017, for the 80th anniversary. I went with the historical tour organized by Matsuoka Tamaki, a renowned researcher of the Nanjing Massacre. The word that she said in the tour bus that I cannot forget is that that Nanjing Massacre was large-scale and symbolic, but it is only one of many, many similar brutal massacres committed by the Japanese Army during the war– what she called 惨案（cǎn’àn）. At 10 AM of the morning of December 13, pedestrians stop and close their eyes, drivers honk, and ships whistle. The whole city, the whole country go into mourning.
In 2020 and 2021, the Western World including Canada, the United States, and Japan have shifted to high gear towards hating China and the Chinese, unilaterally calling the now powerful nation a threat to the world and fanning fear towards military confrontation surrounding Taiwan. Some even say that remembering history such as the Nanjing Massacre would only help escalate Chinese nationalism. I strongly challenge such narratives, especially as a Japanese national.
I believe only through learning sincerely about how Western and Japanese imperialism afflicted and humiliated China through the 19th to 20th centuries, we can begin to understand the historical awareness of the Chinese people and engage with dialogue. In the same way, we Japanese must earnestly learn about the history of Japanese colonization of Korea, to understand the historical implication of the currently politicized issues such as the forced mobilization and the Japanese military sex slavery.
This is why the Nanjing Massacre memorial held by friends in Jeju-do is so significant. While the people of Korea bear no responsibility for the Japanese military’s attacks against China that had launched from Korea, then occupied by Japan, they still come together on a cold day of December and mourn for the victims. We Japanese, in Japan and overseas, must join the memorial, knees down on the ground, with heartfelt remorse for the country’s aggressive past and determination never to allow it to happen again. I believe that an international act of solidarity like this will help nurture personal friendship and deeper understanding between the people of China, Korea, and Japan. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this memorial again.
With the highest respect for my friends in Jeju,
December 2, 2021
Satoko Oka Norimatsu 乗松聡子（노리마츠 사토코）
Director, Peace Philosophy Centre
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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