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| A brief modern history of Japan - History Memes |
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Kind of relevant to this post. But think this guy should be made known about regardless.
Shiro Azuma was a former Japanese soldier who admitted his participation in the Rape of Nanjing and grew increasingly haunted by it as the years went by. He made seven trips to Nanjing, and was planning another before he died. Azuma eventually gained the forgiveness of some survivors, who were initially adamant against forgiving him, but saw he was genuine in his apologies. He published his wartime diary depicting the acts that he and his fellow soldiers committed, which gained stern condemnation in Japan by nationalists and the government. He was supported by people from China and Nanjing in particular, who were dismayed at the ostracization Azuma was facing in his home country. Many helped him gather evidence of the massacre to use in cases in the Japanese Supreme Court, who sided against him two times in accusations that his diary contained false accounts. Despite this, he vowed he would keep fighting for justice until his death.
In addition, the US refused to let him into the country to lecture about his actions and express remorse due to the fact that he had basically exposed himself as a potential war criminal.
When he died, the Chinese government sent a representative to his funeral and was mourned by citizens of Nanjing.