Several years ago, I was overjoyed to be officially invited, along with several prominent experts on China from around the world, to visit the Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, located in the Wanping Heritage Town, Fengtai District, Beijing. This memorial museum houses all the documents, evidence, and testimonies of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against the Fascist Japanese Invasion of China and is located in the Fengtai District of Beijing. The history problem between China and Japan has arisen due to Japan’s insistence, through its government, on numerous Japanese political measures, such as watering down, distorting, and deleting school and university topics on the history of Japanese aggression against China from school curricula. It also engages in actions and behaviors that irritate the Chinese, denying the history of Japan’s fascist military aggression against China and, more seriously, beautifying this history in favor of Japan, despite the military atrocities and brutality it committed against China and its people. In addition to the blatant historical fallacies relied upon by Japanese historian “Iwatani Nobuo”, who claims to have relied on a number of historical archives of the Japanese war on China to demonstrate the role played by the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in expanding the control of the dying Chinese Communist Party and paving the way for its eventual victory thanks to this Japanese aggression against China.
These historical fallacies and disregard for an important historical era, such as the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japan’s military fascism, have led some members of the Japanese government to claim that women in neighboring Asian countries, such as China, who were forced to entertain Japanese soldiers during World War II, were engaged in commercial activities, or that Japan’s military fascism against China was aimed at liberating Asia. A number of other Japanese politicians have even argued that whether or not this war against China was an act of aggression depends on the way and context of thinking in confronting the Japanese themselves. This is the same thing that angers the Chinese leadership, people, and government and angers China’s allies and friends around the world.
Thus, by writing this article, publishing it, and translating it internationally into several languages, as an internationally renowned Egyptian expert on Chinese political affairs, I intend to address the Japanese government and people. These actions deeply hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and seriously undermine the political foundations established between the two countries when diplomatic relations resumed.
In this context, the Museum of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression held a commemorative event titled “The Eternal Original Purpose,” showcasing to its visitors the path paved by the Chinese Communist Party to achieve continuous victories through artwork and photographs. What caught my attention most at the Chinese Museum, which documents the war against Japanese aggression and military fascism against the Chinese, was the statue called the “Independence and Freedom Medal.” This statue symbolizes the Chinese people’s fighting spirit, their fearlessness in the face of violence, and their sacrifices in defending justice and peace, as well as their pursuit of independence and freedom in the face of Japanese military fascism. This victory culminated in China’s victory and the then Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address in August 1945, announcing Japan’s surrender in World War II. Japan subsequently announced its acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration issued by China, the United States, and Britain, and the Soviet Union later joined the declaration.
As academics and experts concerned with Chinese affairs around the world, we must revive and highlight China’s important role in World War II. China was the first Allied force to fight the Axis powers, although it received less credit for its role in the Pacific theater of operations against the Axis powers. China’s Order of Merit was awarded much less attention than the United States, Britain, and even the Soviet Union. This is a matter that falls on us, academics and researchers of Chinese affairs and those close to China, to revive this Chinese role with what it deserves, far from the context of the Western and American ideological narrative that is unfair to China’s rights and its significant pioneering role in the Allied victory over the Axis powers during World War II. In this context, we can refer to the archive of an interview with Chinese President Comrade “Xi Jinping ”during his participation in the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War in the Russian capital, Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin recalled the memory of the Chinese people’s victory over Japanese military fascism, emphasizing that “the Soviet Union and China suffered the heaviest human losses in World War II. Therefore, we always oppose any attempts to discredit military Nazism and falsify history. The two countries’ shared glorious past forms a good foundation for building mutually beneficial good-neighborly relations in the 21st century.”
As an internationally recognized Egyptian expert on Chinese politics and the policies of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), which is the subject of my doctoral thesis, I began my mission with the Chinese government, the Chinese people, and the leadership of the ruling Communist Party of China. We all insisted on putting China’s merits in their place and giving China a greater international role by reminding the world of the benefits of its past cooperation with the West during World War II, paving the way for the Allied victory over the Axis powers led by Japan’s military fascism. This historical review has significant implications for China and its policy today in confronting Washington and the West. If the American leadership role in defeating Japan in 1945 still justifies the American presence in the Pacific region today, why don’t China’s contributions for the same purpose grant it the same influence in the region as the United States? Therefore, as experts and academics concerned with and specialized in Chinese political affairs around the world, we must deepen the understanding of the entire world and its peoples of this great Chinese role in the victory over Japan’s military fascism. The contributions and sacrifices of China, one of the world’s major powers, in World War II were far greater than those of countries that exploited the war’s outcomes and used them to serve their own interests, such as the United States, Britain, and their Western allies, at the expense of China’s role and sacrifices during the war. Therefore, we, academics, researchers, and experts on Chinese affairs around the world, must strive to commemorate China’s victory over Japan, which this year, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the worst war known to humanity. To this end, the world must be reminded of China’s great sacrifices, which must not be ignored. We, in the developing countries of the Global South, with China as its leader, must tell the world that China paid a heavy price in World War II in confronting Japan’s military fascism, and the world must not repeat the same mistakes in confronting China and its ruling Communist Party.
On a personal level, what I most admired about China’s experience and its commitment to affirming its pivotal role in the global victory over Japanese fascism was the Chinese popular and political leadership’s commitment to coordinating, each year, through the Museum of the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in China, with other resistance memorial museums around the world to launch anti-Japanese aggression activities. It also organizes exhibitions and other activities to commemorate this history and commemorate the Chinese heroes and martyrs who died in the war. The Chinese War Memorial Museum of the Japanese Invasion of China also calls on everyone to cherish peace. Although the China War Memorial Museum of the Japanese Invasion of China commemorates the past, its primary goal is to create the future and guide people toward better building China and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was a comprehensive national war of resistance declared by China against the Japanese invasion. The Memorial Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Fengtai District, Beijing, is the only comprehensive museum of its kind that fully reflects the history of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. It displays a large number of photographs and artifacts of historical value spanning a period of fourteen years, extending from the “September 18 Incident” in 1931 to the Japanese invasion of China. Japanese forces stationed in northeastern China blew up a section of a railway line in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The Chinese resistance forces were accused of committing this criminal act and used this as a pretext to invade northern China. The invading Japanese forces subsequently occupied all of northeastern China, where they established the state of Manchukuo (Manchuria). This marked the beginning of Japan’s colonial rule of northeastern China, which lasted for 14 years until the victory of the “Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression” in 1945.
The Chinese fought bravely and resolutely in the eight-year Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, making indelible contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. China served as the cornerstone of resistance against Japanese militarism and made a pivotal contribution to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. China’s World War against Japanese militarism was a triumph of justice over evil, of light over darkness, and of progress over reaction. China commemorates its victory over the Japanese militaristic fascists every year, emphasizing that the country has bright prospects for achieving national rejuvenation under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the face of any military, economic, or other challenges or pressures. As all segments of the Chinese people, especially the younger generation, celebrate the anniversary of the victory over Japan, they express the resolve of the younger generation to carry forward the spirit of the heroes and martyrs, advance Chinese-style modernization, and contribute to the building of a strong nation and the great national rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Celebrations are held throughout China to commemorate the millions of Chinese soldiers and civilians who lost their lives in the 14-year war against Japanese fascist militarism. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an integral part of China’s global struggle against fascism. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration in July 1945, calling for Japan’s unconditional surrender. Japan announced its surrender in mid-August 1945, and China declared victory after Japan signed the document on September 2, 1945. This marked the end of the 14-year Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which left more than 35 million dead and wounded.
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan before the intervention of the Allied powers, from July 7, 1937, to September 1945. The war was the result of a decades-long policy of Japanese imperialism aimed at expanding the empire’s political and military influence, even at the expense of its regional neighbors, such as China. This was facilitated by the rise of extreme nationalism in Japan, which culminated in the rise to power of a fascist military faction in Japan, which led and encouraged the war against China. To halt Japanese aggression, China appealed to the League of Nations for assistance. The League’s investigation resulted in the publication of the Lytton Report, which condemned Japan for its incursions into Manchuria, resulting in Japan’s withdrawal from the League. No country took action against Japan other than weak condemnation.
Every year, China commemorates the anniversary of the start of the Chinese People’s All-Out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression at the Museum of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression near the Marco Polo Bridge, or Luguo Bridge for short, where the historic Luguo Bridge Incident occurred approximately 88 years ago. The war between China and Japan began with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, and the conflict between Japanese and Chinese forces escalated into a full-scale battle. On July 7, 1937, Chinese and Japanese forces exchanged fire around the Marco Polo Bridge (Luguo Bridge), a key access route to Beijing. These were chaotic, sporadic skirmishes between Japanese and Chinese forces, but these quickly escalated into a full-scale battle in which Beijing and the coastal city of Tianjin fell to Japanese forces between July and August 1937. Some sources in the modern People’s Republic of China date the beginning of the war to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. In China, the war against Japan is also known as the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japan. For eight years, the Chinese suffered the horrors of the war between the Japanese armies and the Chinese National Front forces, which included both nationalists and communists. These included the massacres and mass rapes in Nanjing, the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese Unit 731, and the devastating floods caused by the Chinese National Front soldiers, which resulted in a large number of Chinese civilian casualties.
From the above analysis, we understand that the Sino-Japanese War and the Japanese fascist military invasion of China are among the most brutal and bloody wars in history and are considered the beginning of World War II in Asia. Some historians have written, by the way, that Britain strongly incited Japan to this fascist military invasion of China so that Britain would also serve as a protector of China, seize its resources, and steal from its people. The Japanese call this war by another name, believing it to be a war to liberate their lands from Western imperial control. The Chinese, on the other hand, call it the “Chinese People’s Resistance War,” due to its successful victory over Japanese fascist militarism and its brutal, guerrilla-style approach.
