On August 15, 1945, Japan officially announced its surrender by broadcasting a recording of the Emperor's "Armistice Decree." On September 2, the Japanese government and headquarters officially surrendered to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On September 9, the signing ceremony of the surrender of the Japanese army in the Chinese theater was held at the Forward Headquarters of the Chinese Army General Headquarters on Huangpu Road in Nanjing. The demoted commander-in-chief is a general of the first rank, He Yingqin, the representative of the commander-in-chief of the Chinese theater and commander-in-chief of the Chinese army. The commander-in-chief of the Japanese "Chinese Dispatch Army", General Ninji Okamura, signed the instrument of surrender.
Nanjing Signing Ceremony Site Auditorium of the General Headquarters of the Chinese Army (Former Auditorium of the Central Army Officer School)
Some books and periodicals say that at the signing ceremony of the surrender of the Japanese army in the Chinese theater, Okamura Ningci submitted a surrender letter to He Yingqin, and some say that Okamura Ningci submitted a surrender letter to Xiao Yisu, chief of staff of the Chinese Army, such as the Peng'an County Chronicle: "The supreme commander of the Japanese army invading China, Okamura Ningji, handed the surrender letter to General Xiao Yisu of Peng'an with both hands, and General Xiao Yisu of Peng'an only took the surrender letter handed by his hands with one hand to show the majesty of the Chinese anti-Japanese soldiers and safeguard the inviolable sacred dignity of the great Chinese nation."
There are two discrepancies between this record and the facts: First, Okamura Ninji was not the supreme commander of the Japanese invasion of China; Second, Okamura did not submit a surrender letter to General Xiao Yisu; Third, the instrument of surrender was submitted by Asaburo Kobayashi, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese Dispatch Army.
Okamura Ningji was not the supreme commander of the Japanese army invading China, and the Kwantung Army was not under his command
The so-called Japanese army invading China refers to the Japanese army that invaded China's territory (territorial waters) during japan's war of aggression against China. During the entire war of aggression against China, the Japanese army invading China was always divided into several juxtaposed systems, directly under the emperor or the base camp, and there was never a unified supreme commander.
Before the September 18 Incident, the Invading Japanese Army was related to the Eastern Army, the Chinese Garrison Army, and the Taiwan Army. After the September 18 Incident, the Japanese army invading China successively organized the Shanghai Dispatch Army, the Mongolian Garrison Corps, the North China Front, the Central China Front, the Central China Dispatch Army, the China Dispatch Army, the South China Front, the Tenth Front Army (Taiwan Army), etc. The Japanese Navy organized the Chinese Front Fleet and the Kaohsiung Garrison. These units were usually initially subordinate to the emperor or base camp. When Japan was defeated and surrendered in 1945, the Japanese army on Chinese territory had a total strength of about 1.8 million troops, including the Eastern Army, the Chinese Dispatch Army, the Tenth Front, the Chinese Fleet, and the Kaohsiung Garrison.
Many books and periodicals in China describe Okamura Ningji as "commander-in-chief of the Japanese army invading China" or "supreme commander of the Japanese army invading China", which is inaccurate. The Chinese dispatch army does not include the Kwantung Army, the Tenth Front, and the Chinese Fleet. When Japan surrendered, several units invading China had no affiliation and were directly subordinate to the base camp of the Japanese army, of which: the Chinese Dispatch Army, the Kwantung Army, and the Tenth Front Army were directly subordinate to the headquarters of the Army Department; The Chinese fleet and the Kaohsiung Garrison are subordinate to the Headquarters Naval Department.
In other words, Okamura Ninji could not have commanded several other units. However, according to the first order issued by the Allied High Command on August 17, 1945, on the surrender of Japan to the Allies, on August 24, the Japanese headquarters ordered the commander-in-chief of the Chinese dispatch army to take unified command of all the officers and men of the Tenth Front (Taiwan) and the Thirty-eighth Army (Northern French Indochina) and command the Chinese fleet to surrender to the Supreme Commander of the Chinese Theater. The Japanese Kwantung Army in northeast China and the Korean Peninsula surrendered to the Soviets (the Japanese troops stationed in southern Korea surrendered to the Americans) and were not under the jurisdiction of the Chinese dispatch army.
The Japanese Kwantung Army's auto units surrendered to the Red Army
Okamura did not submit a surrender letter to He Yingqin or Xiao Yisu
On September 9, 1945, He Yingqin was ordered to preside over the signing ceremony of accepting japan's surrender in Nanjing on behalf of the Supreme Headquarters of the Chinese Theater in the name of chief of staff of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government and commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army. The signing ceremony was held in the auditorium of the former CSKA Officer School. On August 27, 1945, the Nationalist government sent Leng Xin, deputy chief of staff of the army, to fly from Zhijiang to Nanjing to set up a forward command post of the Chinese Army General Headquarters in the auditorium. In 1946, the auditorium was transformed into the seat of the Ministry of National Defense. After the founding of New China, the East China Military and Political University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Nanjing Military Academy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and the headquarters of the Nanjing Military Region all worked in this building. The great hall became the auditorium of the PLA Military Academy. Later, it was changed to the Military History Museum of the Nanjing Military Region, and now it is the Military History Museum of the Eastern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
The signing ceremony begins at 9 o'clock on September 9, which is a carefully selected time, which means "March 9th Anniversary".
On September 9, 1945, the venue of the signing ceremony of the surrender of Japan in the Chinese theater of operations.
The Chinese side was demoted to 5 representatives:
The commander-in-chief of the army, He Yingqin, was a general of the first rank of the army
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Chen Shaokuan, is a first-class admiral of the Navy
Gu Zhu, commander of the Third Theater, was a second-class general of the Army
Lieutenant General Xiao Yisu, chief of staff of the Army General Command
Chief of Staff of the Air Force Combat Command, Colonel Zhang Tingmeng, Air Force
The Japanese surrender represented 7 people:
General Ningji Okamura, commander-in-chief of the Chinese Dispatch Army
Lieutenant General Asasaburo Kobayashi, Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese Dispatch Army
The commander of the Chinese fleet, Vice Admiral Ryozo Fukuda
The Chief of Staff of the Tenth Front, Lieutenant General Haruki Isayama
Major General Takeo Imai, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese Dispatch Army
Chief of Staff of the Thirty-eighth Army Masao Misawa Army Daisa
The Chinese dispatched army staff officer Ogasawara Qing Army Nakasa
A total of 405 foreign guests, Chinese officials, and Chinese and foreign journalists were invited to observe the ceremony, including 219 Chinese officers, 51 Chinese civilian officials, 52 Chinese journalists, 47 Representatives of the Allied Powers, and 36 foreign journalists. Chinese military and political dignitaries included Tang Enbo, Wang Maogong, He Zhihan, Li Mingyang, Zheng Dongguo, Leng Xin, Liao Yaoxiang, Cai Wenzhi, Peng Mengji, and Gu Zhenggang; foreign guests included US Army Rear Admiral McLeou, Brigadier General Bai Deruo, Rear Admiral Maxus, British Rear Admiral Hayes, and officers from France, Canada, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, and Australia.
Frustrated, Okamura led the Japanese surrender representatives into the venue of the surrender ceremony.
According to relevant records, throughout the process of signing the surrender, all documents handed over by the Chinese side to the Japanese side, including two copies of the Chinese japanese surrender documents, one copy of the Japanese surrender letter signed by He Yingqin, and the first order of the Supreme Commander of the Chinese Theater and the order to receive the certificate, were all submitted by Lieutenant General Xiao Yisu, chief of staff of the Chinese Army General Headquarters, to Okamura Ninji, commander-in-chief of the Japanese Army's Chinese Dispatch Army; The documents handed over by the Japanese side to the Chinese side, including Okamura Ninji's supporting documents, Okamura's signature of the Two Japanese Surrender Documents, and Okamura's signature for the order to receive the certificate, were all sent by Kobayashi Asaburo Kobayashi, chief of staff of the Japanese Army's China Dispatch Army, to He Yingqin, chief of staff of the Military Commission of the National Government and commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army.
That is to say, Okamura Ningji did not directly submit the surrender letter to He Yingqin or Xiao Yisu, but to Kobayashi Asaburo to present He Yingqin; Since Xiao Yisu did not receive the surrender letter from Okamura Ningji, the so-called "one-handed" and "two-handed" theories of course did not exist.
He Yingqin signed the Japanese instrument of surrender
Okamura stamped the surrender letter
He Yingqin should have taken the book with one hand but temporarily switched to both hands
In the process of signing the surrender, after Okamura Ningji signed and stamped the "Letter of Surrender of the Japanese Army in the Chinese Theater to the Chinese Government", Asaburo Kobayashi held the two surrender documents to the front of the surrender seat and presented He Yingqin with both hands. In the Chinese government's procedure for signing the acceptance of Japan's surrender, there is no written rule on whether He Yingqin should receive the surrender letter submitted by the Japanese side with both hands or one hand. However, according to the custom, the enemy's surrender letter does not need to stand up and reply, but only receives the surrender letter with one hand. But He Yingqin stood up and answered and took it with both hands. This is quite different from the so-called description of "General Xiao Yisu of Peng'an just took the surrender letter handed by his hands with one hand", and it is not known whether He Mou thought of doing this in advance or whether it was a temporary "live play". Perhaps, this is the so-called "revenge with virtue" idea of worship.
Oil painting "9:00 on September 9, 1945 AD. Nanjing》
This is a famous oil painting depicting the signing ceremony of Japan's surrender in the Chinese theater. On the picture, the surrendered commander of China is standing in danger, with a victorious posture; The Japanese representative, Bi Gongbi, bent down to submit the surrender. The painting is grand and the atmosphere is solemn and shocking. But unfortunately, this deflating scene is quite different from the facts.
Kobayashi Asaburo (right) presents the surrender letter to He Yingqin.
Judging from this photo of the scene where the Japanese representative submitted the surrender letter, the scene of the oil painting is too idealistic: He Yingqin did not stand in a precarious position, and the Japanese representative did not bow at such a large angle, but He Yingqin's waist was bent a little. This photo, which many media have misrepresented, is that Okamura Ningji submitted a surrender letter to He Yingqin. Kobayashi Asaburo and Okamura Ninji do have some resemblance in appearance, both bald heads and glasses, but Kobayashi Asaburo's military jacket is a standing collar and wears a tassel belt (staff belt), while Okamura's military jacket is lapels and no spikes.
The signing ceremony of the surrender of Japan in the Chinese theater of operations was one of the most significant events in Chinese history, but there were three questioning places left at the surrender ceremony:
First, it was not Ninji Okamura who personally submitted the surrender, but was submitted by his chief of staff, Asaburo Kobayashi, who sat in his seat throughout the signing process (in the painting, he and Kobayashi Asaburo stand at the table of the Chinese representative);
Second, Okamura Ninji did not present the knife on the spot, but prepared in advance and did not bring the knife to the scene at all;
Third, He Yingqin, who was the victor in receiving the surrender, bent his waist even lower than Kobayashi Asaburo, and it was really impossible to see who submitted the surrender to whom.
He Yingqin bent down to accept the surrender letter, which caused the wrath of the people
Regarding He Yingqin's bending over, the Japanese insist that He Yingqin, an "old friend" of the pro-Japanese faction who graduated from the Japanese Army Non-Commissioned Officer School, was answering the salute. Okamura wrote in his memoirs: "When Kobayashi's chief of staff presented it to Commander-in-Chief He, he saluted three times before and after. The Chinese side did not reciprocate this. I am afraid that this is also a suggestion from the US military. However, when the third chief of general staff of Kobayashi presented the letter of surrender, Commander-in-Chief He could not help but stand up and give an answer. Seeing the gentle character of my old friend, I can't help but think: After all, it is Oriental morality! ”
The Chinese side believes that the Chinese side's table is too wide. At that time, in order to show the identity of the Chinese victor, the Chinese side used a wide table, so that He Yingqin had to lean forward to receive the surrender book. However, even if the table is wide, it should be the Japanese representative leaning forward to submit the surrender letter, rather than He Yingqin bending down and going forward.
Originally, as the victorious power, the Chinese side made meticulous preparations for the entire signing ceremony and the layout of the venue to show the posture of the Chinese victor. Before the ceremony began, all Japanese delegates were asked to shave their hair as a sign of defeat. In addition, the Japanese representatives, except for Okamura Ningji, were not allowed to place their hats on the table and must hold them in their hands, while the hats of the Chinese representatives were placed on the table. In addition, the seat arrangement is also ingenious, the seat of the Japanese representative is a cloth bag chair, and the Chinese representative is a leather bag chair; The width of the Chinese table is several times that of the Japanese table, that is, you must lean forward when you submit the surrender, which is deliberately arranged.
From this photo of the Scene of the Japanese Signing ceremony in Nanjing, it can be clearly seen that the Table on the Chinese side is much wider than the Japanese side, and the hat is also placed on the table.
It is reasonable to say that China won the victory and paid a huge sacrifice, and should straighten up and accept the surrender letter submitted by the defeated country in a dignified manner, and the surrendered Japan should bend down and bow to apologize to China. Why did He Yingqin bend more than Asaburo Kobayashi who submitted his surrender letter, even lower than the head of the representative of the defeated country. At that time, it became a hot topic, which attracted fierce criticism from the media, and the major newspapers did not insist on criticizing He Yingqin's waist pole. Public opinion believes that He Yingqin's act of getting up and receiving the book is an act without dignity and bowing to the Japanese, which is suspected of "flattering the Sun" and is detrimental to the national character. Li Ao once publicly wrote an article criticizing He Yingqin, saying: "The Kuomintang He Yingqin's waist has a flattering bone," "How come you won the war with more waists than the ones who lost the war?" ”
In Xiong Zongren's "Biography of He Yingqin", there is such a description - for the entire surrender ceremony, He Yingqin is always tolerant and friendly for the sake of Okamura Ningji and others. In order to avoid a sense of threat, he once proposed to adopt the round table approach. However, the representative of the United States objected, believing that in this way, the surrenderee and the surrenderer were on an equal footing, so the rectangle was changed, with the surrendered person on top and the surrenderer sitting opposite. According to the procedures drawn up in advance, it was stipulated that the Japanese surrender representatives should perform three ceremonies to He Yingqin before and after: the first ceremony was held at the venue, and the second ceremony was performed when Kobayashi Daigang Mura presented the surrender instrument to He Yingqin; Okamura and the others withdrew for the third ceremony, and He Yingqin should not answer to this, but when he saw Kobayashi present the surrender letter, He Yingqin actually stood up and gave the answer... The Allied Advisory Group protested against He Yingqin's move of losing his status as the demoted chief of the Chinese Army Headquarters afterwards, but He Yingqin ignored it and ridiculed western morality for not being the same as Eastern morality after all.
In the early 1950s, He Yingqin visited Japan to meet with his old friend Okamura Ningji. Okamura hosted a banquet at which he praised He Yingqin as "the person who knows Japan the most" and "his pro-Japanese attitude for many years has long been known to the Japanese people," and especially for Chiang Kai-shek and He Yingqin's "revenge with virtue" after Japan's defeat in the war. Speaking of excitement, Okamura Ningji actually lost his voice and cried bitterly, and He Yingqin was also in tears and sighed. The face of this pro-Japanese faction is exposed.
Regardless of the relationship between He Yingqin and Okamura Ningji, on such a big issue of right and wrong as accepting Japan's letter of surrender, He Mou disregarded the great national righteousness, put his personal feelings above the national interests, and made acts that disgusting and damaged the national character, and must be condemned!
Okamura's signature on the letter of surrender