On May 4, French friend Bastien Ratat donated scanned copies of archival materials related to Japan’s invasion of China to the Memorial Hall. The collection comprises 42 documents totaling 1,993 pages, dating from 1920 to 1943. Primarily written in French, the materials also include documents in English, Chinese, Japanese and other languages. Their contents cover the Nanjing Massacre, the relationship between Japan’s invasion of China and Western interests, the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Japanese expansion in Northeast China, and archives of the French Consulate in Taipei. From multiple perspectives, these materials provide further compelling evidence of the Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities committed by Japanese invaders.

Representing their research team, Bastien Ratat and Zhong Haosong formally transferred the scanned archival materials to the Memorial Hall

Bastien Ratat noted that had these archives not remained sealed during the Tokyo Trial, the verdicts might have been even more comprehensive. Zhou Feng, Director of the Memorial Hall, stated that the materials will be preserved in the Nanjing Massacre Documentation Center and will contribute positively to further historical research.

Yang Xiaming, Researcher at the Institute for National Memory and International Peace Studies, and Chen Pujun, a faculty member of the Department of French at Hohai University, offered professional assessments of the historical value and research significance of the archives from the perspectives of historical facts and French social memory, respectively.

Bastien Ratat and Zhong Haosong also observed a moment of silence for the deceased in the Nanjing Massacre and laid chrysanthemums in tribute.