On September 3rd, China held a grand military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. In this episode of the Roughly Chinese Podcast, our host Mimi is joined by Li Jingjing, journalist and commentator at CGTN, to discuss how World War II is remembered differently in the East and the West, and why this history matters not only to China, but to people everywhere. This text has been transcribed from the original podcast audio. For improved readability and comprehension, our editorial team has made necessary adjustments to punctuation, paragraph structure, and grammar. The content remains consistent with the original intent of the speakers.

Mimi:

Somehow, this history is erased in the West or simply not spoken about at all. I think when people talk about World War II or that period in history, they barely ever mention what was happening in China. Many don’t realize that during that time, over 20 million people in China were killed. That is an absolutely disgraceful number—an act of genocide and violence—and yet people in the West seldom talk about it.

So I was wondering, for our audience, would you be able to explain some of the depth of this real history? Because, as we talk about today’s modern developments, it’s really important to understand the history that has led us to where we are today.

Seeing the veterans at the parade yesterday was extremely emotional. We saw people who have lived to see it all—individuals nearly 100 years old who not only survived the violence, the Japanese massacres and atrocities, but who also witnessed all the changes China has been through. I’d love if you could explain a bit about this deeply important history and why it remains crucial to remember.
Li Jingjing:

Thank you, Mimi. This is a really important question. I was also shocked when I heard from friends from different countries that they knew basically nothing about China’s role in World War II before coming here.

For Europeans, World War II likely began in 1939. For Americans, it started in 1941 with the attack on Pearl Harbor. But the war actually began in China, in Asia, on September 18th, 1931, when Japan invaded Northeast China. That means the war started here eight years before the date widely recognized in the West.

During the 14 years of resistance against Japanese aggression, China suffered 35 million military and civilian casualties—and that’s only a rough estimate. Japan also launched biological warfare, contaminating rivers and food with cholera, plague, and other diseases, leading to countless more victims.

You mentioned the Nanjing Massacre. The Japanese fascist forces wiped out 300,000 people in Nanjing within just one week. And that was only one city. Similar massacres occurred all across China. In Shanxi, there were mass graves of mine workers. In Northeast China, there are likely over 60 such mass graves. The crimes committed were atrocious.

I really recommend everyone read the book The Rape of Nanjing. It details the horrors: the systematic rape of women, children, and the elderly; beheading contests where soldiers competed to kill the most people; rivers turning red from blood; bodies piling so high they were used as bridges by Japanese troops. These were unspeakable crimes.

Yet most Westerners have no idea any of this happened. They know about the Holocaust—and we do too. As Asians, we learned European WWII history in school. We know about the six million Jews, Hitler, Dunkirk, the Blitz, Pearl Harbor. We know what happened in the European and Pacific theaters. But they don’t know what happened here.

Some argue, “So what? We don’t know every war.” But World War II was the most devastating global conflict, and China, the U.S., and Britain were allies against fascism. That’s how the post-war order was built. That’s why China is a permanent UN Security Council member. This history cannot be forgotten.

We still need to remind people 80 years later because some forces are actively trying to erase this history. They’re waiting for the survivors to die so no one remembers. They’re rewriting history. Some say younger Japanese aren’t responsible—so why blame them? But if that’s true, why do those uncovering this history face death threats?

For example, Evan Kail, an American who donated a war crime photo album to the Chinese embassy, faced relentless attacks and death threats. Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanjing, received so many threats it likely contributed to her suicide. If the current generation has nothing to do with the war, why are they so afraid of the truth?

They’re waiting for the survivors to die. We all know what Japanese forces did to women across Asia—the systematic sexual slavery. Most were from China, but also Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. They never apologized. They never compensated these women. They erased it from textbooks.

Unlike Germany, Japan never sincerely apologized to China, Korea, or Southeast Asian nations they invaded. In their declarations, they don’t even say “surrender”—they say “cessation of war.” They claim they “ceased the war for the peace of Asia.” They twist history, play the victim using the atomic bombs, and present themselves as the biggest victims of WWII.

That’s why we must keep repeating this history—to ensure it is neither twisted nor forgotten.