Japanese Soldiers’ Accounts

Lu, Suping

doi:10.1007/978-981-13-9656-4_7

Suping Lu²

411 Accesses

Abstract

After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the Japanese military authorities issued strict orders and rules to their troops that accounts and photos revealing atrocities were not allowed for public dissemination. Kazuo Sone (曾根一夫), a Japanese soldier who participated in the Nanjing battles, wrote in his book The Nanjing Massacre and War (南京虐殺と戦争):

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 129.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 169.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 169.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

1.
山中恒 (Hisashi Yamanaka), 新聞は戦争を美化せよ! 戦時国家情報機構史 (Media Beautifies War! The History of the State Intelligence Agencies during the War), Tokyo: 小学馆 (Shōgakkan), 2001, p. 225.
2.
曾根一夫 (Kazuo Sone), 南京虐殺と戦争 (The Nanjing Massacre and War), Tokyo: 泰流社 (Tairyūsha), 1988, p. 106.
3.
R. John Pritchard and Sonia Magbanua Zaide, The Tokyo War Crimes Trial, Vol. 2, Transcripts of the Tribunal, p. 3465.
4.
松井石根 (Iwane Matsui), 松井石根大将の陣中日誌 (Field Diary of General Iwane Matsui), ed. by 田中正明 (Masaaki Tanaka), Tokyo: 芙蓉書房 (Fuyo Shubo), 1985.
5.
“『南京虐殺』史料に改ざん今春出版の『松井大将の陣中日誌』 (Tampering with “Nanjing Massacre” historical material, Matsui General’s Field Diary published this spring), 朝日新聞 (Asahi Shinbum), November 24, 1985, p. 3, and “「南京虐殺」ひたすら隠す (Just hide “Nanjing massacre”),” November 25, 1985, p. 3. The author of the articles is Yoshiaki Itakura (板倉由明), who also published “Strangely tampering General Iwane Matsui’s Field Diary (松井石根大将『陣中日記』改竄の怪)” in the winter 1985 issue of the journal History and Figures(歷史と人物), pp. 318–331.
6.
松井石根 (Iwane Matsui), 松井石根大将戦陣日記 (Field Diary of General Iwane Ma-tsui), in NBSM2, p. 143.
7.
畑俊六 (Shunroke Hata), “陸軍大将畑俊六日誌 (Diary of Army General Shunroke Ha-ta),” in NBSM, p. 52.
8.
飯沼守 (Mamoru Iinuma), “飯沼守日記 (Diary of M. Iinuma),” in NBSM, pp. 214–215.
9.
It should be “in the north,” for Shangyuan Gate (上元門) is one of Nanjing’s northern outer city wall gates.
10.
飯沼守 (Mamoru Iinuma), “飯沼守日記 (Diary of Mamoru Iinuma),” in NBSM, p. 216.
11.
上村利道 (Toshimichi Uemura), “上村利道日記 (Diary of Toshimichi Uemura),” in NBSM, p. 272.
12.
山田栴二 (Senji Yamada), “山田栴二日記 (Diary of Senji Yamada),” in NBSM2, pp. 331–333.
13.
宫本省吾 (Seigo Miyamoto), “宫本省吾陣中日記 (Field Diary of Seigo Miyamoto),” in NMIA, p. 133.
14.
遠藤高明 (Takaharu Endo), “遠藤高明陣中日記 (Field Diary of Takaharu Endo),” in NMIA, pp. 219–220.
15.
近藤榮四郎 (Eishirou Kondo), “近藤榮四郎出征日誌 (Expedition Diary of Eishirou Kondo),” in NMIA, p. 325.
16.
目黑福治 (Fukuharu Meguro), “目黑福治陣中日記 (Field Diary of Fukuharu Meguro),” in NMIA, p. 369.
17.
中島今朝吾 (Kesago Nakajima), “中島今朝吾日記 (Diary of Kesago Nakajima),” in The Nanjing Battle History Related Source Materials, pp. 323–325.
18.
佐佐木到一 (Touichi Sasaki), “佐佐木到一少将私記 (Personal Diary of Major General Touichi Sasaki),” in NBSM, pp. 377–378.
19.
增田六助 (Rokusuke Masuda), “增田手記 (A Note by Masuda),” in NIKD, pp. 322–323.
20.
北山舆 (Atau Kitayama), “北山日記 (Diary of Kitayama),” in NIKD, p. 48.
21.
牧原信夫 (Shouta Makihara), “牧原日記 (Diary of Makihara),” in NIKD, p. 93.
22.
東武夫 (Takeo Higashi), 東武夫陣中日記 (Field Diary of Takeo Higashi), 私家版 (Pri-vate edition), 2002, cited from 南京大屠杀: 32日本军方文件与官兵日记 (The Nanjing Massacre: Vol. 32 Japanese Military Documents and Diaries by Japanese Officers and Soldiers), 王卫星编 (ed. by Wang Weixing), Nanjing: 江苏人民出版社 (Jiangsu Peoples’ Publishing Press), 2007, p. 393.
23.
舟橋照吉 (Teruyoshi Funahashi), “舟橋照吉戦地日記 (Field Diary by Teruyoshi Funehashi),” 南京戦史補充資料 (Additional Source Materials of the History of the Nanjing Campaign), cited from 南京大屠杀: 60日军官兵日记与回忆 (The Nanjing Massacre: Vol. 60 Diaries and Memoirs by Japanese Officers and Soldiers), 王卫星编 (ed. by Wang Weixing), Nanjing: Jiangsu Peoples’ Publishing House, 2010, pp. 377–379.
24.
伊佐一男 (Kazuo Isa), “伊佐一男日記 (Diary of Kazuo Isa),” in NBSM, p. 440.
25.
水谷莊 (Sou Mizutani), “水谷莊日記 (Diary of Sou Mizutani),” in NBSM, p. 501.
26.
井家又一 (Matachi Ike), “井家又一日記 (Diary of Matachi Ike),” in NBSM, p. 475.
27.
山本武 (Takeshi Yamamoto), 一兵士の従軍記錄: づりおく、わたしの鯖江三十六聯隊 (A Soldier’s Military Service Record: Segments of Memory: My Sabae 36th Regiment), 福井: 新福井 (Fukui: New Fukui), 1985, p. 79.
28.
折田護 (Maroru Orita), “折田護日記 (Diary of Mamoru Orita),” in NBSM, p. 447.
29.
前田吉彦 (Kitsuhiko Maeda), “前田吉彦少尉日記 (Diary of Sub-Lieutenant Kitsuhiko Maeda),” in NBSM, pp. 453–462.
30.
福元続 (Tsuzuki Fukumoto), “福元続日記 (Diary of Tsuzuki Fukumoto),” in NBSM2, pp. 385–386.
31.
高城守一 (Morikazu Takashiro), “銃劍は相手を選ばず (The bayonet that recognizes no one), 揚子江が哭いている: 熊本第六師団大陸出兵の記錄 (The Yangtze River is Crying: Record of Kumamoto 6th Division’s Combats on the Continent), 創價學會靑年部反戦出版委員會編 (ed. by the Anti-War Publishing Committee of the Creative Writing Association’s Youth Department), Tokyo: 第三文明社, (Dsisan Bunmeisha), 1980, pp. 95–96.
32.
赤星義雄 (Yoshio Akaboshi), “揚子江を埋めた屍 (The Yangtze River filled with cor-pses),” in The Yangtze River is Crying, pp. 29–30.
33.
浅野善内 (Zennai Asano), 私の戦歷 (My War Experiences), 私家版 (Private edition), 1993, cited from The Nanjing Massacre: Vol. 60, pp. 126–127.
34.
曾根一夫 (Kazuo Sone), 私記南京虐殺 (My Personal Record of the Nanjing Massacre), Tokyo: 彩流社 (Sairyūsha), 1984, pp. 31–32.
35.
曾根一夫 (Kazuo Sone), 続私記南京虐殺 (The Continuation of My Personal Record of the Nanjing Massacre), Tokyo: 彩流社 (Sairyūsha), 1984, p. 63.
36.
“最前線大異常あり: 虐殺で对立する南京攻略戦の士兵たち (Extremely Abnormal at the Upmost Front: Antagonism due to the massacre among the soldiers who participated in the Nanjing battles),” アサ匕芸能 (Asahi Geino), January 28, 1971, pp. 44–45.
37.
梶谷健郎 (Kenrou Kajitani), “梶谷健郎日記 (Diaries of Kenrou Kajitani),” in NBSM2, p. 435.
38.
It should be the 16th, according to his diary.
39.
梶谷健郎 (Kenrou Kajitani), “参加南京攻略战 (Participating the Nanjing Campaign),” in 骑兵第四联队史 (The History of the Fourth Calvary Regiment), cited from 南京大屠杀: 10日军官兵与记者回忆 (The Nanjing Massacre: Vol. 10 Memoirs by Japanese Officers, Soldiers and Journalists), 王卫星编 (ed. by Wang Weixing), Nanjing: Jiangsu Peoples’ Publishing Press, 2005, pp. 106–107.
40.
岩崎稔 (Minoru Iwazaki), 或る戦いの軌跡:岩崎昌治陣中書簡より (Trajectory of Figh ting: Field Letters by Masaharu Iwazaki), Tokyo: 近代文芸社 (Kindai Bungeisha), 1995, pp. 74–76.
41.
佐々木元勝 (Motokatsu Sasaki), 野戰郵便旗 (The Banner of the Field Post Office), To-kyo: 日本講演通信社 (Japan Speech and Communication Society), 1941, pp. 239–240.
42.
佐々木元勝 (Motokatsu Sasaki), 野戰郵便旗, 上 (The Banner of the Field Post Office, Vol. I), Tokyo: 現代史資料センター出版会 (Modern History Source Material Center Pub-lishing Society), 1973, p. 216.
43.
Motokatsu Sasaki, The Banner of the Field Post Office, 1941, pp. 240–241.
44.
佐々木元勝 (Motokatsu Sasaki), “佐々木元勝氏の野戦郵便長日記 (Diary of the Field Post Office Master Motokatsu Sasaki), 偕行 (Kaiko), December 1984, pp. 10–11.
45.
Kazuo Sone, The Continuation of My Personal Record of the Nanjing Massacre, p. 76.
46.
井手純二 (Junji Ite), “私が目撃した南京の惨劇 (The Nanjing Tragedy I witnessed),” 歷史と人物 (History and Figures), 昭和59年增刊 (Supplement Issue, 1984), pp. 273–274.
47.
奥宮正武 (Masatake Okumiya), 私の見た南京事件 (The Nanjing Incident I witnessed), Tokyo: PHP 研究所 (PHP Research Institute), 1997, pp. 33–34.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
Suping Lu

Authors

Suping Lu
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lu, S. (2019). Japanese Soldiers’ Accounts. In: The 1937 – 1938 Nanjing Atrocities. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9656-4_7

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9656-4_7
Published: 07 December 2019
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-9655-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-9656-4
eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics