Japan's "nationalization" of the Diaoyu Islands has aroused public outrage. We should be clear that safeguarding the sovereignty of the islands is a long-term task. We should make the world more aware of the atrocities Japan committed during World War II.

International research has long focused on the Holocaust, while the Nanjing Massacre and other Japanese atrocities are relatively neglected in comparison. When we mentioned "Auschwitz," people immediately recognize the connotations. Auschwitz's meaning has exceeded its geographical and historical notions. It implies people's recognition of suffering and humanity.

In many colleges of the West, there are courses about the Nazi Holocaust. The US Military Academy at West Point has set up the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The research on the Nazi Holocaust has extended to many subjects, such as philosophy, psychology and religious studies, and promoted these subjects' own development.

Comparatively, the efforts we have made are far from enough. Although the Nanjing Massacre was widely covered in the Western media in 1937, modern-day widespread awareness of it in the West only dates from 20 years ago, thanks to the publication of The Rape of Nanking by Chinese-American Iris Chang and the contemporary diary written by German businessman John Rabe, who saved many thousands of Chinese in Nanjing. It's regrettable that neither account came from a Chinese citizen. 

Chinese scholars have done a lot of research on the massacres committed by the Japanese army during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). However, most is narrowly historical. We should re-analyze the war from the perspectives of other subjects, and play a larger rile in international scholarship.

When we read about the war crimes of the Japanese Army's notorious Unit 731 or visit the memorial hall for the Nanjing Massacre, we can ask: Why did the Japanese, who seem to behave courteously, become so ruthless in war? Why did Japanese culture fail to restrain their inhuman behavior? Only historical research cannot answer these questions.

The involvement of other subjects will not only have a broader impact on Chinese people's efforts and promote the research from a historical perspective, but also make Japan's humiliating atrocities more widely remembered. Our colleges can conduct joint research with colleges from other Asian countries and promote our research achievements to the world. This is a contribution we can make for the peace of Asia and the world.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. He's now based in Bangkok. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn