It is not odd to see websites discussing Nanjing being censored by the Beijing government. Whereas any other topic such as Falun Gong, the government clamps, deemed too “sensitive” for the national psyche. If Nightingale wants Japan to talk about Nanjing, she should know that the text book flub she mentioned as a campaign by the nationalist wing of the government. The campaign is akin to the religious nuts in America pushing for science books talking about intelligent design.
If one is to go look up an entry about Nanjing on Wikipedia, there is no shortage of information displayed on both the Japanese language version and the standard English one. Can China do that on, say, Tienanmen?
You hear a lot of self-censoring from the Japanese press, just as much as the Chinese government would like the newspapers from within its borders to do so. But you don’t hear the Japanese government issuing internal directives shutting down an internet forum because the subject deemed too dangerous for discussion.
Each time words like Nanjing and “rape/massacre” came up from the Chinese government, the nationalistic faction of the public got riled up like it is the end of their world. Please. Nanjing is an ace card the government uses each time it needs a little self-encouragement. In no way does an average Japanese today condone the Nanjing event. But if that is the only flub the Beijing government has when it wants to shame Japan, have at it. The type of government shutting down a dark chapter of history and insists on no discussion is the kind of government in the league of North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Burma.
Maybe Nightingale has gone too native to see a clear eye on this.
Update:
Per the Journal, here are Beijing’s directives on what the national discourse should be:
Jan. 31: Media must not report on photos of actress Zhang Ziyi topless on a Caribbean beach.
Apr. 13: The State Administrative of Radio Film and Television prohibits entertainment programs from publishing or discussing celebrity love affairs or scandalous material.
Apr. 14: All media including internet-based outlets must report positively on a book called China Unhappy. No commentary or billboard rankings about the book allowed.
May 2: Media must not publish commentary about the May Fourth Movement.
June 10: Media must report positively on the Green Dam project. Media can organize interviews with some experts and parents about filters for pornographic material under this project. No commentary allowed. Web site management must delete all critical articles about the project.
Date unknown: Media must delete all images of President Hu in front of a billboard advertising the Japan-based company Toshiba during China’s National Day Parade on October 1.