Analyzing the “Photographic Evidence” of the Nanking Massacre

with Chinese staff members of the self-government committee in order notto arrest innocent civilians. In many cases, we could identify them easilybecause ex-combatants were usually wearing civilian clothes only in theirupper body, but were still wearing army pants. (Nankin senshi, p. 387)The screening process continued for about 20 days and was more or less completedJanuary 5.Nevertheless, some Chinese officers were able to evade the watchful eyes of theJapanese military authorities. Sixteenth Division chief-of-staff Nakasawa noted in hisreport around January 22 that a battalion commander of the Chinese 88th Division hadbeen captured a few days before. He added, “We must be aware that officers ofconsiderably high ranks are hiding in the buildings of diplomatic representatives.According to the confession of that battalion commander, regimental and battalioncommanders are still taking refuge within the compounds of the U.S. embassy.”The China Press, published by Americans in Shanghai, reported in its January 25edition that the Japanese military had rounded up 23 commissioned officers, 54non-commissioned officers, and 1,498 privates at diplomatic legations and otherbuildings in Nanking by December 28. That even an anti-Japanese English-languagepaper published in China reported on this fact, albeit in a small article, attests to theseriousness of this event. A cutout of this article was also attached to a documentamong the official German diplomatic files compiled by the German embassy.On the same day, the China Press quoted a Japanese military police report, sayingthat the rounded up officers included a man named Wang Xinlao. The report said thathe called himself Chen Mi and was in charge of administrative duties in the safety zone.The report also noted a rumor that among the high-ranked officials still in hiding are MaPaoxiang, deputy chief of the 88th Division, and Mi Xinxi, ranking official of theNanking police. Ma was said to be commanding anti-Japanese activities.Lieutenant-Major Huang An and 17 other men were taking shelter inside the safety zonewith one machine-gun and 17 rifles, while Wang Xinlao and his three men were engagedin robbery, agitation activities, and rape.Thus, this military police report makes clear that some Chinese officers weredirecting sabotage activities against the Japanese from their hide-out within the safetyzone. In addition, some Westerners in Nanking were illegally sheltering some of theseofficers. As Kobayashi Taigen discussed extensively in the March 2004 issue of theJapan “Nanking” Society journal, the Osaka Asahi Newspaper also mentioned the “arrestof rogue Chinese who perpetrated robbery and violence disguised as Japanese soldiers” inits February 27, 1938, issue.Another objective of screening was to compile population statistics. This was anindispensable process to solve the food shortage problem that was afflicting Nanking atthe time. The Japanese army released food to the citizens, and no instance of death bystarvation was reported in the city. This was one of the forgotten achievements of theJapanese army in Nanking.Saturday, January 1, 1938: The self-government committee held its inaugurationceremony in the city center. Its inaugural address noted that “the security was restoredin the city in a short while after the Japanese army’s arrival.”47