The City of Life and Death, an award-wining Chinese film about the 1937 Nanjing massacre committed by Japanese troops during the Second World War, was put on the big screen in Japan for the very first time on Sunday.


The producers of the film, which received the top prize at the Spanish International Film Festival, had been unable to show it in Japan for various reasons.

Now that the Japanese viewers are finally able to see the film, what do they have to say about it, and more importantly, what do they have to say about that period of history?

A Japan-based grassroots organization called In Defense of History Film Committee initiated the screening. Instead of a public screening, the film was shown twice on Sunday in a cultural museum in Shinjuku City, Tokyo.

Despite the limited number of screenings, the film drew wide attention from the Japanese media. Prestigious media outlets, including Kyodo News and the Asahi Shimbun, featured reports on its premiere.

On the day of the screenings, hundreds of people swamped the theater despite pouring rain. The theater hall, capable of holding 500 spectators, was filled to capacity 15 minutes before the movie started.

Hasegawa was one of the viewers.

"I visited Nanjing a few years ago. Although I didn't go through the war, I am aware of the massacre in Nanjing. But this is the first time for me to get into the details of the massacre. International law forbids troops from killing refugees and captives, but the Japanese troops violated the law coldheartedly. After watching the film, I feel that no matter what happens, war will never be the answer."

Film director Lu Chuan talks about why he made the movie.

"The reason I shot this film was to remind audiences about history, especially the younger generation in Japan. As a filmmaker, I am also interested in human nature during wartime and the relationship between individuals and the war. Other than that, this part of history appears to be an empty page in the minds of the world, so I cannot help but feel duty-bound to unveil it, and this is how the film was born."

Because right-wing groups in Japan opposed the film, efforts to screen it had encountered a number of twists and turns. Arakawa, the director of the film committee, explains.

"There are many people out there who refuse to accept the Nanjing massacre as a historical fact. The purpose of the committee is to bring out the fact so that more viewers are willing to accept it."

The storyline of The City of Life and Death was based on more than 40,000 photographs taken by Japanese troops during the war as well as the letters and dairies of Japanese soldiers.

Director Lu Chuan says he hopes the screenings are not an end, but a catalyst for further screenings in Japan.