[Shared] The Forgotten Anniversary of the Victory of the War of the Resistance

Yesterday was Chinese Soldier’s Day on September 3, and it was also the 77th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan. However, in the atmosphere of political correctness in Taiwan, Taiwanese politicians just make pictures and wash the pages with their blessings to the active military officers and soldiers such as "Happy Soldier's Day" on Facebook, but coldly avoided talking about the "Victory Day of the War of Resistance", seeming to be forgetting the meaning of this day. In fact, the retrocession of Taiwan's sovereignty was owed to the victory of the bloody Eight-year War of Resistance. September 3, the Victory Day of the Anti-Japanese War, definitely has a pivotal position for Taiwan.

Back to 77 years ago, that is, on September 2, 1945, the Allies of WWII and the defeated country Japan reached an armistice agreement. They decided to board the USS Missouri battleship moored in Tokyo Bay, Japan to officially held the surrender ceremony on that day. It was presided over by General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of the Far East Comand, in person.

Since the Republic of China (ROC) was the first country to fight against Japanese invasion and fought for the longest time. When arranging the order of entry, the Allies decided that the Republic of China🇹🇼 would be the first to enter the deck on the second floor of the battleship to express their respect. Our country sent a total of six representatives, General Xu Yongchang (徐永昌), the Minister of the Board of Military Operations (軍令部) of the National Government (國民政府), was the head of the delegation, and with his member Lieutenant General Yang Xuan-cheng (楊宣誠), Lieutenant General Zhu Shi-ming (朱世明), Major General Wang Zhi (王之), Major General Li Shu-zheng (李樹正), Major General Wang Pi-cheng (王丕承) and others boarded the USS Missouri at 8:30 in the morning. There were more than 200 reporters and photographers of Chinese and foreign media crowded the venue. The photoflash flickered one after another, witnessing this historic moment together.

Japan, as the defeated, assigned the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamoru Shigemitsu (重光葵) to represent the Japanese government and the Emperor, and the Army Chief of Staff Yoshijiro Umezu (梅津美治郎) to represent the Imperial General Headquarters, total of 11 Japanese delegation members expressed their unconditional surrender to the Allied forces. Shigemitsu's leg was once blown off in Shanghai Hongkou Park. This time, he staggered to the signing table with a cane and signed the solemn legal document "Instrument of Surrender". Maybe it’s because of his humiliation even nervous, he couldn't find the place to sign for a while.

Subsequently, General MacArthur, on behalf of the Allies, signed the “Instrument of Surrender” at 9:08 a.m., and then the ceremony came to the nine Allied nations to sign. First, it was Admiral Chester William Nimitz, Sr. on behalf of the United States completed the signing at 9:12. The second was the Republic of China, General Xu Yong-chang (徐永昌) strode to the signing table and officially signed at 9:13. The other countries which also completed the signing are as follows by order, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, and New Zealand. Since then, World War II was officially declared ended.

▲On behalf of the Republic of China, General Xu Yong-chang (徐永昌) signed the "Instrument of Surrender" as a victorious country.

To commemorate the historic moment when Japan officially announced its surrender, the National Government announced a national holiday the next day. At 9:00 am on September 3, the alarm of disarming air defenses rang for 10 minutes. Enduring the tough resistance, and the catastrophe for 8 years long, the depressing grievances of people could finally release! On this day, in the capital city of Chungking, tens of thousands of citizens flocked to the streets to welcome the triumphant return of the National Revolution Army (NRA). The national flag was hung on the streets, the lanterns were decorated, dragon dances were paraded, and the sound of firecrackers was endless. Everyone stayed up all night, and the carnival continued all night, because the victory of the War of Resistance was achieved by a lot of their hardships and hard work. Next year, the National Government decided to set September 3 as the "Victory Day of the War of Resistance". To commemorate the martyrs sacrificed for the country, the National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine (國民革命忠烈祠) was built in the capital, and holds the National Memorial Ceremony in Autumn on this day every year. The President personally attends the ceremony and leads the central civil and military officials to lay flowers to the spirit tablet of the National Revolutionary Martyrs with the solemn ringing of bells and drums, with full of remembrance and the expression of spiritual comfort to the bereaved of the martyrs.

During the 8-year all-out War of Resistance, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek led the NRA to fight against the powerful enemy with advanced armaments with their flesh and blood, being united as one, having no dread for the sacrifice. The NRA fought as a pioneer of anti-invasion independently for more than 4 years, until the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, they were finally able to join the Allied forces to fight against the enemy, co-operating with the Allied forces in counter-offensive operations, supporting the British army in the Burma battlefield, and contain a large number of elite Japanese troops in the China Theater. The NRA even became the main force of the Allies in the Asian battlefield, laying the opportunity for the Allies to win. During the Anti-Japanese War led by the National Government, there were also General Zou Hong (鄒洪), Lieutenant General Huang Guo-shu (黃國書), General Li You-bang (李友邦) and other Taiwanese patriots who went to the mainland China to fight for their motherland at all costs, forcing Japan to declare its unconditional surrender. The NRA accepted the surrender of the Japanese troops in Nanjing on September 9 and at Zhongshan Hall (中山堂) in Taipei on October 25, finally winning the glorious victory. The victory just not only abolished the unequal treaties being effective for over a century, but also retroceded the sovereign of Northeast China (Manchuria), Taiwan and Penghu according to the "Cairo Declaration". The Republic of China even became the Big Five of the UN after the war.

▲In November 1943, the leaders of China, the United States and the United Kingdom held the Cairo Conference. During the conference, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek tried his best to regain the sovereignty of the Northeast China (Manchuria), Taiwan and Penghu after the war.

The Nationalist government later retreated to Taiwan. In view of the fact that the National Army had many separate anniversaries during the Second Sino-Japanese War, such as the Army Day on July 7 for commemorating the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Air Force Day on August 14, the Navy Day on September 2, the Military Police Day on December 12, and the 9.18 Incident Memorial Day on September 18, so the National Government changed its name from the set “Victory Day of the War of Resistance” as the “Chinese Soldier’s Day” to convey that the national army sacrificed over 3.22 million people in the Eight-year War of Resistance against Japan in exchange for the final victory, recognizing national army soldiers’ integrity of serving the country.

However, after the first political party alternation in Taiwan in 2000, the (DPP) rulers began to cut and decouple many festivals from Chinese history and Chinese culture. “National Father’s Birthday”, "Pres. Chiang's Birthday" and "Confucius's Birthday" are no longer the national holidays, there is no more festival hold for "3.29 Youth Day" and "Chinese Arbor Day" in student campuses ever again. Even the celebration of Chinese Soldiers' Day on September 3, has cut off the great achievements of the National Army in the Eastern Expedition, Northern Expedition, and Second Sino-Japanese War in the Mainland period before 1949. The emphasis is now only on defending Taiwan, but never mentions the historical connection of the "Victory Day of the War of Resistance", intending to decouple the "Victory of the War of Resistance" from the "Soldiers’ Day", making the "Victory of the War of Resistance" be erased from the common historical memory of the Taiwanese people.

Looking at the Eight-year War of Resistance against Japan, the national army fought 22 major engagements (involved 100,000+ troops both sides), 1,171 minor engagements (involved 50,000+ troops both sides), and 38,931 skirmishes against Japan. 3,211,419 soldiers were killed or missing from the army, navy ships were completely lost, 4,321 soldiers were killed from the air force, 2,468 planes were destroyed, and 268 generals were died in battle. Among the 129 Japanese generals killed in China's aggression, only 3 died of fighting the CCP, and the rest were all killed by the National Army led by Chairman Chiang Kai-shek. History shows that during World War II, the government which led the national army and civilians to fight the War of Resistance against Japan, is the government of the Republic of China. The National Army was the mainstay of the Second Sino-Japanese War. But the current government (DPP) in Taiwan chose to ignore and cut off the relation with this historical event. Instead, the "Right to Speech of the Second Sino-Japanese War" was taken away by the CCP on the other side. “The 8-years of War of Resistance” was distort as “The 14-years of War of Resistance” by the CCP*, attempting to distort and downplay the historical status of the Republic of China during the War of Resistance. In another five years, the veterans will no longer be alive. The historical fact that “the National Government is the main character in the War of Resistance” will inevitably be diluted and covered up, becoming the character of making up the number for the “denominator”.

*Translator's note: The opinion of “The 14-years of War of Resistance” is about that CCP organized few guerillas against Japan, with the people who struggling against Japanese invasions and Pres. Chiang’s “No-resistance Policy” in many ways. However, the fact is that Chiang is preparing for the total war against Japan and buying time by diplomatic measures, no matter how humiliated the results were to Chiang, according to his diary, during that first 6 years. After the war began, though CCP agreed to fight together, CCP refused the command from the government and command their soldier to hide, while Chiang sent all his elite troops out, even CCP blamed their comrade Peng De-huai (彭德懷) for winning the fight against Japanese troops in Hundred Regiments Offensive (百團大戰). So, it’s worth to think that if CCP truly wanted to fight against Japan for people? Or it just an excuse for them to preparing overthrowing ROC government with armed force like a terrorist during the war?

▲The Palm Spring Air Museum in California shows the scene of the surrender ceremony of Japan, and the flag of the Republic of China is displayed. It’s obviously that the historical fact that “the National Government is the main character in the War of Resistance” cannot be ignored or cut off.

The Victory Day of the War of Resistance is a day with far-reaching meaning. Looking back on history, because of the sacrifices and dedication of the sages and martyrs of the National Army during the War of Resistance against Japan in the Mainland, Japan finally surrendered unconditionally and had to return Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, making Taiwanese people be able to free from Japanese government’s ruling and to achieve today's free, democratic and prosperous way of life in Taiwan. These are the hard facts that cannot be challenged. Therefore, not only should we celebrate Soldier's Day, but also hope that everyone will remember that this day is also the "Victory Day of the War of Resistance", because it's not easy to gain the extraordinary victory of the War of Resistance. Only by remembering the history can make the meaning of "9.3 Soldier's Day" be confident and justifiable.

(The author is the moderator of the fanpage "My Sino-Japanese War" (我的抗戰) on Facebook)

Original source:
https://www.chinatimes.com/opinion/20220904000025-262107?chdtv