Japan May Stop Financing UNESCO

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Tokyo considers various options, including further cessation of funding of UNESCO, after the cultural organization included in its Memory of the World register several documents, presented by China, on the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Japan may terminate financial support for UNESCO, after the cultural organization included in its Memory of the World register several documents, presented by China, on the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tuesday.

The Nanjing Massacre was committed by Japanese troops during the Second Sino-Japanese War. During a six-week period in December 1937 over 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed by the Imperial Japanese Army, and about 20,000 Chinese women were raped.

“We consider various options, including further cessation [of funding],” Suga said at a briefing in Tokyo.

Previously, the Japanese Foreign Ministry expressed regret that the documents presented by China were included in the World Heritage list, despite a lack of agreement from Japanese authorities. Tokyo argues that the documents are based on biased views and the Japanese government doubts their reliability and authenticity.

Tokyo does not deny that the massacre occurred, but disputes the number of victims. Meanwhile, some Japanese experts consider the Nanjing Massacre episode a falsification, saying that it is used to apply political pressure on Japan.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) regularly updates lists of cultural and historic heritage to preserve for future generations.