2015年CRI Japanese Couple Exposes Scars of Nanjing Massacre on Stage

Japanese Couple Exposes Scars¹ of Nanjing Massacre² on Stage

Sixty-nine-year-old Japanese artist Kazuko Yokoi knows the atrocity³ in Nanjing in 1937 from the victims and her own family. 

She is now bringing a one-woman show on stage called The Eyes Hold the Truth.

"I was sent out to work when I was 14. One day, a Japanese police officer came in and said 'I know a good job that can make you a lot of money. Do you want to come?' I was 17 back then. I saw at least 10 girls like me waiting at the train station. The man took us to Pyongyang, left us to a military policeman and left. We were tricked! By the time we knew,it was already too late. 'We will kill you if you run!' the man shouted. We got off the train at Pukou Station in Nanjing, China. We were loaded onto a truck and taken to a military brothel called Kinsui House. The place was set for a Japanese army post nearby."

Yokoi plays a Korean teenage girl who was forced by the Japanese military to be a sex slave and witnessed the massacre in Nanjing.

With the help of simple props⁴ and stage lights, the actress is trying to let the history speak for itself.

Yokoi plays three different sex slaves or so-called comfort women in the play. Each of the characters reflects what they saw during the mass killing⁵ and rape⁶ from different perspectives.

Her husband Yoshiji Watanabe is the director and writer of the play. His father was an imperial⁷ army officer and a Class-C war criminal.

Watanabe says the play is inspired by his family tragedy.

"My father is guilty. After all the crimes he did during the Second World War, he couldn't be happy anymore. Family violence was often the case through my childhood and never stopped. When I was 37, my mother hung herself. That thing struck me. It also became the main reason for me to begin creating this series of war-time themed stage works. I believe if we don't atone⁸ for our previous generation's crime, we won't be happy anymore."

The couple says it is very worrisome that some Japanese politicians are still not able to face up to that part of history, referring to the country's current right-leaning politics.

"If Japan keeps going like this, it will lose its neighbor China and will be isolated⁹ in this world."

"I think it is necessary to do what we are doing with pride because I love my country deeply."

That is exactly what people from both countries have been doing - helping¹⁰ people know the truth and making sure it will never happen again.

1 scars   

n.伤痕( scar的名词复数 )；精神上的创伤；有损外观的地方；裸岩

参考例句：

• Slowly the war scars faded. 战争的创伤慢慢地消失了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I've got scars from head to toe in tribute to my courage. 为了嘉奖我的胆量，我得到浑身的伤疤。 来自辞典例句

2 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

3 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。

4 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

7 imperial   

adj.帝王的，至尊的；n.特等品

参考例句：

• They made an objection to the imperial system with resolution.他们坚决反对帝制。
• The Prince Imperial passed away last night.皇太子昨晚去世了。

8 atone   

v.赎罪，补偿

参考例句：

• He promised to atone for his crime.他承诺要赎自己的罪。
• Blood must atone for blood.血债要用血来还。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。