The journal’s editor accentuated the ‘present significance’ of such a historical event by printing along the photographs of Japanese atrocities such banners as ‘Remembering the Nanjing Massacre. Resolutely Stop American Imperialists’ Remilitarisation of Japan!’ The history movement reflects enduring public anger at Japan’s wartime atrocities, inflamed by publicized accounts in China of Japanese historical revisionism, right-wing activism, and potential remilitarisation. The use of history as an object lesson to serve the present could not have been more blatant.
In light of this, it would be all to easy to assume that the degree of unanimity with which the Chinese publicly remember the Nanjing Massacre today is a natural reflection of the widely shared views of Japanese militarism. These memories have not been static, but rather have metamorphosed over time in postwar history according to the profound shifts in China’s domestic and international politics. Countering this simplistic treatment, the Massacre historian must be