One of Japan's biggest hotel chains APA Hotel Group has sparked a controversy in China following a report that one of its local hotels is storing a book that claims the 1937 Nanjing massacre was a complete "fabrication."  

The book was apparently written by APA Hotel Group's Chief Executive Officer Toshio Motoya under his pen name Seiji Fuji. The book says that China's claim of a death toll of 300,000 is absolutely "absurd."

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He challenged this figure by claiming that the population of Nanjing, which was then the capital of China, was only 200,000 in 1937.

An excerpt from the book reads that there were "absolutely no records such as diaries, letters, or photographs by people from a third country...who witnessed the massive killing."

The Chinese government has voiced its displeasure over the open distribution of the book in Japanese hotels.

A statement issued by China's foreign ministry said that this book proves that "some forces within Japan refuse to squarely face history and even attempt to deny and distort history."

The controversial book came to the attention of Chinese people after two tourists displayed the book in an online video, which quickly went viral on the Chinese Weibo. The video gained more than 95 million views with many calling for an immediate ban on the book.

Several Chinese companies have stated that henceforth they would nHt reserve rooms in APA hotels unless the book is removed and the CEO issues a public apology for his remarks.

However, APA Hotel has refused to soften its stance saying that the views expressed by its CEO were based on factual findings and are intended to present a "true interpretation of modern history."

The 1937 Nanjing Massacre is a Painful Part of China-Japan History  

The Nanjing massacre represents what China claims is Japan's wartime aggression against its country. The massacre took place during the second Sino-Japanese War fought between 1937 and 1945.

According to Chinese historians, Japanese troops pounded Nanjing and carried out a ruthless massacre that left 300,000 people dead, with China claiming that the massacre is one of the deadliest in human history.

However, Japanese historians, as well as the government, has refused to accept these claims. Some claim that the Nanjing massacre never took place at all, while others claim that China has exaggerated the death toll to defame Japan.     

TagsNanjing Massacre, Japan, China and Japan, china