Chinese man detained for staging ‘Japanese imperial soldiers’ costume parade

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One man from China was detained by authorities after organizing a parade which saw its participants dressed up as Japanese imperial soldiers. The man, identified only as Zhong, led the parade in Lianyungang city in Jiangsu province on Sunday, Oct. 7, along with 10 men who also carried fake firearms and sabers.

The group was seen carrying signs that said, “Japs coming to Ganyu.” Zhong apparently organized the parade as part of his plans of throwing a promotional event for a short film he was making, according to The South China Morning Post on Oct. 9. “Japs coming to Ganyu”, it turns out, was the name of the short film that Ganyu Hanzi, an entertainment group, is arranging to shoot.

The police have since detained Zhong for causing public disorder. Chinese authorities are known to have no tolerance when it comes to people who are “Japanese in spirit,” known as “jingri” individuals.

The Nanjing People’s Congress drafted a law last August that aims to criminalize “jingri” activity. The law states that those who distort or deny the Nanking massacre and wear uniforms of Japanese Imperial soldiers during World War II could be prosecuted.

The Nanking Massacre saw the Japanese Imperial Army kill over 300,000 people from 1937 to 1938 and rape over 20,000 women in the Chinese capital alone. This harrowing time in Chinese history has continued to fuel the strain between Japan and China until today, almost 80 years after the Second World War. Cody Cepeda/JB

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