Today...

I'm not a fan of dwelling on these sorts of events, as I've recently said... but Dec 13 has a pointed past.

On Dec. 13, 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army entered the Chinese capital city of Nanking. Thus began the six-week long systematic destruction of the city that is today called the "Rape of Nanking".

300,000 murders. No fewer than 51,500 "sanctioned" rapes. 70% of the city destroyed by arson (not by incendiary effects of munitions, mind you). Uncounted thousands of cases of looting and vandalism. Brutality on a scale not imagined since the end of the "dark ages".

We all know that the Emperor was not tried for his role in war crimes after the Japanese surrender, and I think we all see the reasoning behind this... but there are compelling cases made that do not get much attention that say he should have been tried. For example, Hirohito (now exclusively called "the Showa Emperor" in Japan, because he is dead) personally appointed his uncle, Prince Asaka, as the over-all commander of the assault forces in and around Nanking. He did this because he didn't trust Asaka and wanted him out of Tokyo... he referred to Asaka as "not good" and thought he might try and take the throne. There is no serious doubt that Asaka knew of what was happening in Nanking after Dec 13... yet neither he, nor anyone else in the Imperial Family were charged or put on trial after the war. Asaka denied that any misconduct ever occurred in regards to Japanese military personnel in Nanking right to his dying day. Even today, the government of Japan "hides" facts. The international release of the American movie "The Last Emperor" was edited before release in Japan so that all scenes and references to the Nanking massacre were removed.

Tragic history, huh?