The following is the continuation of the previous chapter.
Haruki san's new work "Nanking Incident" description, sensation
The dead "400 million people and those who say" ... More Chinese claims
Killing Commendatore (Shinchosha), the first novel written in four years by Murakami Haruki (68), released last month, calls unexpected sensation.
Voices calling into question in the light of historical research in recent years were spurt out on the Internet about the words and phrases of the characters mentioned in the "Nanking Incident" (1937), which was said to have occurred during the war under the occupation of the former Japanese Army, it is controversial.
"Killing Commendatore" is a large best seller that issues 1.38 million copies in two volumes, Part 1 and Part 2.
A story that depicts a strange event that happens around a 36-year-old portrait painter, light is also given to the memory of war.
The second part is calling a consultation, the dialogue of the character "menshiki" enveloped in a mystery.
In talking about the past of a person, he touched theand explained to the hero's portrait painter that the Japanese army killed most of soldiers and citizens surrender.
On the number of victims of the Nanjing case, the Chinese side claimed "300,000 people."
In Japan, the opinion that this is exaggerated in research in recent years has been established and there are opinions that there was no such thing as "incident".
With the current state of history research, author Naoki Hyakuta spoke cynically on Twitter on February 24th of the release day, "his book will be best-selling in China as well. China may support Mr. Murakami to take the Nobel Prize to spread the fact that Japan's proud author also acknowledges the Nanjing Massacre.”
On the bulletin board on the Internet, there are intersections of reproof writing such as "There are more than 300 thousand people insisted by China" and a voice that seems to be quiet, "No way if we combine a novel with a historical verification book."
The People's Daily Web site "People's Web Japanese version" posted articles that the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Museum evaluated Mr. Murakami's attitude of face history in the blog.
"It faces the history straight ahead Mr. Murakami's attitude is gathering more voices of support than criticism," it reported.
Concerned about political use
Professor Emeritus Minor Kitamura of Ritsumeikan University (China modern political history) "I do not know what the grounds of 400,000 people are dead. Although it is a line of characters in the novel, but Mr. Murakami is a popular author with worldwide authority, the Chinese side may use politics to exaggerate this thing" he's worried.