The Museum of Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japan received 30 prints depicting the Nanjing Massacre from an 84-year-old Japanese veteran, Shima Antan, in Beijing on Monday.
The work is named "Sanguang" for the "Three Alls" Japanese war policy of "Kill all, Plunder all, Burn all." The pictures show the beheading, beating, shooting and raping of civilians by Japan's army in atrocities that resulted in the deaths of 300,000 Chinese.
"This was an inhumane war. We abandoned any humanity at the time," said Shima, who worked for Japanese intelligence in Shandong Province from 1943 to 1945.
After five years in a Soviet Union labor camp and six years' detention in China, Shima was returned to Japan in 1956. "I should have been executed, but they sent me back. From that day, I decided to atone for my sins."
Shima started "Sanguang" in 1975 and has received threats from right-wing extremists several times.
"I'm not worried. This is why I do it. I want to tell the ordinary people the truth about the invasion. I want to ask those who started the war and forced us to kill to apologize. I want to warn those who could lead the nation down the same path to stop and think," said Shima.
On the same day, 117 historical materials regarding the massacre were presented by two family members of the deceased judge who oversaw many of the key tribunals of those responsible.
Shi Shenheyu, widow of Shi Meiyu, chief justice of a military court set up in Nanjing, donated the materials to the city's Memorial Hall of Compatriots Murdered in the Nanjing Massacre.
Shi Nanyang, her son, said that the invaluable materials, including indictments, judgments, records, photos and books based on the military court, prove the actions of the Japanese army. "It was my father's last wish to offer the materials to the memorial hall," he said.
They said they have a duty to refute the lies from some right-wing quarters in Japan.
Zhu Chengshan, president of the memorial hall, said the materials are "the last word on the Nanjing Massacre" and that they will be vital for further study.
The Far East International Military Court was set up 58 years ago, consisting of judges from 11 countries, including China, the US, UK and former USSR.
It began hearing the trials of 28 Japanese war criminals in May 1946. The court sentenced seven chief perpetrators, including Hideki Tojo, the leader of the massacre, to death after two years' deliberations.
Local courts were established for judging less prominent war criminals in 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing.
(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2004)
