China held a state ceremony on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, striking a restrained public tone even as historical tensions with Japan continue to shape relations between the two neighbors.
The event took place at the National Memorial Center in Nanjing, the eastern Chinese city where Chinese historians say Japanese troops killed about 300,000 people during the 1937 occupation. The commemoration comes amid renewed debate over wartime memory and responsibility in East Asia.
The ceremony was led by Shi Taifeng, a senior Communist Party official who heads the party’s powerful organization department. In remarks delivered at the memorial site, Shi referred to a recent speech by President Xi Jinping marking 80 years since the end of World War Two but avoided the sharper rhetoric often used by Chinese officials on the subject of Japan.
“History has fully demonstrated that the Chinese nation is a great nation that fears no power and stands on its own feet,” Shi told attendees, according to state media.
He did not name any Japanese leaders directly but repeated Beijing’s long held warning against reviving militarism. “History has proven and will continue to prove that any attempt to revive militarism, challenge the postwar international order, or undermine world peace and stability will never be tolerated,” he said.
The ceremony lasted less than 30 minutes and was attended by officials, police officers, and groups of schoolchildren. Doves were released over the memorial at its conclusion.
The Nanjing Massacre remains one of the most sensitive issues in relations between China and Japan. Chinese authorities have consistently cited a death toll of 300,000. A postwar Allied tribunal put the figure at about 142,000.
Some conservative Japanese politicians and scholars continue to dispute that a massacre occurred, a position that has repeatedly drawn criticism from Beijing and fueled diplomatic tensions.
China designated December 13 as its national memorial day for the massacre in 2014. At the first ceremony, President Xi called on both countries to set aside hatred while warning against historical revisionism.
Xi last attended the event in person in 2017 and did not deliver public remarks. Chinese authorities did not comment on his absence from this year’s ceremony.
While the official ceremony remained subdued, a separate message from China’s military drew notice. The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army posted an image on social media showing a blood stained sword striking a skeleton wearing a Japanese military cap, a visual that showed lingering sensitivities around the wartime past.
China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to questions about the image or the broader messaging surrounding the anniversary.
As Beijing balances commemoration with diplomacy, the Nanjing Massacre continues to serve as a powerful symbol in domestic memory and regional politics, even as both sides navigate an uneasy present.
Africa Digital News, New York
