China Designated the Victory Day of

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

 And the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims

The Standing Committee of the People's Congress (NPC) of China adopted the Decision on Designating September 3 as the Victory Day of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Decision on Designating December 13 as the National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims on February 27, 2014.

I The Chinese people's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression constituted an important theater of the Second World War, which is known in China as the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese Resistance War lasted for 14 years, longer than wars in any other part of the world during the Second World War. China fought side by side with other anti-Fascist allied countries, including the U.S.. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese government officially signed the Instrument of Surrender, which marked the complete defeat of the Japanese aggressors and the final victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.

The Chinese Resistance War pinned down a large Japanese force for a long time and played a critical role in Japan's final defeat. According to incomplete statistics, China suffered more than 35 million casualties, both military and civilian; China's direct economic losses exceeded US$100 billion, and its indirect economic losses totaled more than US$500 billion, calculated at the price in 1937.

The decision by the NPC Standing Committee to designate the Victory Day of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression through legislation reflects the will of the Chinese people. The purpose is to better commemorate those who laid down their lives and all those who contributed to the resistance against fascist aggression, and to recall the arduous struggle of the Chinese people against Japanese militarism. It also highlights the important role of the Chinese Resistance War in the Second World War, which is sometimes overlooked in other parts of the world, and underscores China's firm stance in defending its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and promoting world peace. The September 3 date was chosen because the Chinese Government has a longstanding regulation setting aside September 3 as the date to commemorate the victory in the War against Japanese Aggression.

II The Nanjing Massacre is a most infamous atrocity of mass murder committed by Japanese militarists in Nanjing. The horrific massacre began on December 13, 1937, the day that Japan invaded and occupied Nanjing, and lasted more than 40 days. Over 300,000 people were slaughtered, more than 120 times that suffered by the United States during Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor (2402 deaths) and more than 100 times that of the 9/11 terrorist attack (about 3000 deaths). The massacre was a flagrant violation of international laws, and those responsible for the atrocity were tried and convicted by the post-WWII International Military Tribunal for the Far East and the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal.

The National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims is designated as a day to hold mourning and commemorative activities at the national level for victims of the massacre and all those killed during the Japanese Aggression against China and to remember the crimes committed against the Chinese people. The day is also an occasion to recall the suffering the war caused for people around the world and an annual expression of the Chinese people's firm opposition to aggression and safeguarding human dignity and world peace.