China held a subdued memorial ceremony on Dec. 13, 2025, to mark the 88th anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, a day that traditionally honors the roughly 300,000 people China says were killed by Japanese troops in the then-capital. The event, held at the national memorial centre in Nanjing, was notably low-key and lacked attendance by President Xi Jinping, drawing attention amid already strained ties with Japan. 

 

 

The ceremony came as Beijing and Tokyo’s diplomatic relationship faces tension linked to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting Japan could militarily respond if China attacked Taiwan, a claim that has angered Chinese officials. In previous years, the memorial has been a more prominent national event, with Xi attending in 2017; his absence this year was not explained. 

 

At the event, Shi Taifeng, a senior Communist Party official, spoke briefly, condemning attempts to revive militarism and highlighting historical resilience, but his remarks were measured compared with recent fiery government rhetoric. Aside from the official ceremony, China’s Eastern Theatre Command posted nationalist imagery on social media, reflecting lingering historical grievances. 

 

The subdued tone of the memorial suggests Beijing balanced remembering history with avoiding further escalation of regional diplomatic tensions with Tokyo. In China, the Nanjing Massacre remains a deeply emotive issue, and ceremonies like this reinforce the historical narrative that is central to national memory and foreign policy rhetoric. 

 

Looking ahead, analysts expect that historical commemoration will continue to factor into China-Japan relations and broader East Asian geopolitics, particularly as tensions over Taiwan and regional security persist. How each side manages historical memory and contemporary diplomacy may influence future interactions between the two governments. 

 

Key Takeaways

 

China held a low-key memorial on Dec. 13, 2025, for the Nanjing Massacre with Xi Jinping absent.

 

Senior official Shi Taifeng spoke, emphasizing resistance to militarism amid Japan-China tensions.

 

The subdued event reflects efforts to balance historical commemoration with current diplomatic strains.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Reuters 2025-12-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People forget how truly horrific the Japanese military behaved when it came to China, Korea, the Philippines, and the entire Pacific Theater, it was one atrocity after another and many of the soldiers were absolute savages. I wonder what kind of history is taught these days in modern-day Japan and modern day Germany in regard to World War II. 

88 years on and the massacre will never healed and will continue to haunts China-Japan relations. Similarly the 100 years humilation of China  by Western powers, Russia and Japan has etched into minds of China that has drove and influenced China's ambition and foreign policies. 

Has anyone read the book "The Rape of Nanjing"? It's a difficult book to read.

33 minutes ago, Mike_Hunt said:

Has anyone read the book "The Rape of Nanjing"? It's a difficult book to read.

 

I read it during a visa run.  Sadly, it's author Iris Chang committed suicide in 2004.

 

https://www.ktvu.com/news/bay-area-author-iris-changs-rape-of-nanking-brought-forgotten-holocaust-to-the-west

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

People forget how truly horrific the Japanese military behaved when it came to China, Korea, the Philippines, and the entire Pacific Theater, it was one atrocity after another and many of the soldiers were absolute savages. I wonder what kind of history is taught these days in modern-day Japan and modern day Germany in regard to World War II. 

I can't believe someone has down voted this. They must have learnt their history in Japan, where current generations are ignorant of the brutality of their war crimes in WWII. Just read a few accounts by British and Australian POWs of their treatment at Japanese hands to get a full flavour of the horrors they were subjected to.