On the morning of July 24, fourteen members of the Japanese delegation “Remember History, Reflect on the Crimes of Aggression—A Journey for Peace” visited the Memorial Hall. This was the delegation’s 31st visit since the initiative was launched in 1991. The oldest member was 79 and the youngest 29, with a noticeable increase in younger participants.

The delegation members held a face-to-face discussion with Ge Fengjin, an inheritor of historical memories of the Nanjing Massacre. One member pressed him with the question, “When members of your family were killed, how could you not hold on to hatred?” Ge replied, “The Chinese nation cherishes peace. Although my father carried the trauma throughout his life, we pass down these memories not to preserve hatred, but to uphold peace and look toward the future.”

Zhou Feng, Director of the Memorial Hall, presented the delegation with the Japanese edition of the Nanjing Massacre Exhibit and Zijin Cao badges. “People-to-people exchanges can have a profound impact when young people serve as bridges,” he said.

The delegation members toured the “Nanjing Massacre Exhibit”, with many taking notes throughout the visit. One member carefully recorded the historical timeline, the basis for the figure of more than 300,000 victims, the dates of the Tokyo Trial, and the fact that the victims included children, women, teachers and ordinary residents. The member also wrote, “History must not be forgotten.”

Delegation leader Takayuki Motomura said that this was his second visit. “Voices denying the history of the war are growing louder in Japan, which is alarming. We came to the place where the victims suffered to hear and see the truth for ourselves. We must tell young people in our country the truth and never allow war to happen again.” Kae Yoshioka, a female member of the delegation, was moved to tears during the visit. She said, “It is rare to have an opportunity like this to see history as it truly was. I will take what I have seen and learned firsthand back to Japan and tell young people, so that our two countries can move toward friendship and peace.”