『「南京事件」―日本人４８人の証言』（小学館文庫）
阿羅健一著
その８―第二章 軍人の見た南京 ２、海軍
砲艦勢多艦長・寺崎隆治少佐
砲艦比良艦長・土井申二中佐
上海海軍武官府報道担当・重村実大尉
第２連合航空隊参謀・源田実少佐
今回は第２章「軍人の見た南京」のうちの
２、海軍 上記４人の証言です。
中支は当時海軍の担当地域で、上海付近に第３艦隊があり、海軍武官府が上海に置かれ、海軍陸戦隊が上海租界の在留日本人の安全を守っていました。約３万の居留民を守る４千５百の陸戦隊に対して、１９３７年８月１３日、国民党の正規兵３万が突如として一方的に総攻撃を仕掛けてきたのが上海事変の始まりです。その延長が南京戦ですので、海軍は上海から揚子江を遡上して南京に向かい、また航空部隊が南京攻撃に加わりました。
砲艦勢多、比良ともに両岸からの銃砲撃に反撃し、閉鎖線を突破して南京に近づきます。南京に近づきますとジャンクやいかだに乗った中国兵が次々流れてきます。下関などから対岸の浦口に逃げようとしたのが、浦口も日本軍に占領されたので流れてきた部隊のようです。当然これに両艦は砲撃を浴びせます。これを後になって虐殺の一つに挙げる人もいるようですが、これは国際法上の純戦闘行為で、虐殺には当たらないことは言うまでもありません。
比良は下関のやや下流の宝塔橋に入りましたが、そこに6，７千人ほど難民がいたため、司令官の許可を得て、街の整備、治安維持活動を紅卍会の陳漢森南京分会長と協力して行いました。陳氏からの土井中佐への礼状が残っております。コピーをご覧ください。
日本語原文： http://hassin.org/01/wp-content/uploads/48-8.pdf
英訳文： http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Ara-Nanjing-8-.pdf
海外には、下記の通り英文で発信しました。
平成３０年３月９日「史実を世界に発信する会」会長代行 茂木弘道拝
http://hassin.org
The Nanjing Incident: Japanese Eyewitness Accounts
-Testimony from 48 Japanese Who Were There-
By Ara Ken’ichi
No. 8: Chapter 2 Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers
1. The Navy, 29～32
We present No. 6 in this series, which contains Chapter 2: Nanjing, as Observed by Japanese Soldiers, 1. The Navy, 29 – 32.
At the time, the Navy was responsible for the security of the central China area. The Third Fleet was deployed there–Naval Headquarters and the Naval Landing Force were based in Shanghai. On August 13, 1937, a force of 30,000 Chinese regular army soldiers, secretly and illegally infiltrated a designated neutral zone, suddenly attacked the Naval Landing Force, numbering 4,500, which was responsible for protecting the 30,000 Japanese civilians living in the Japanese concession in Shanghai. This was the start of the Shanghai Incident. The battle of Nanjing was an extension of the fighting in Shanghai. Consequently, the Navy, air force, gunboats and mine sweepers joined in the battle of Nanjing.
China closed the Yangtze by sinking ships and laying underwater mines. The gunboats Seta and Hira advanced to Nanjing, fighting against small-arms fire and shelling from both side of the Yangtze River and clearing obstructions. As they neared Nanjing, they encountered numerous Chinese soldiers on junks and rafts, their numbers gradually increasing in time. The Chinese soldiers were probably headed towards Pukou but it was occupied by the Japanese army. So, they headed downriver to escape. Japanese gunboats attacked them as a matter of course. This would not be a violation of international law, so this cannot be considered, by any measure, a “massacre”.
The Hira landed at Pagoda Bridge Town near Xiaguan. Six-thousand to 7,000 refugees were gathered there. Commander Doi, captain of Hira, saw that rebuilding the town was absolutely necessary and initiated reconstruction with the cooperation of Chen Hansen, the head of the Nanjing Branch of the International Red Swastika Society. A letter of thanks to Commander Doi from Mr. Chen Hansen remains as evidence of his and the peoples’ gratitude. The copy can be seen here: ｐ12-13.
URL: http://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/1136/
PDF: http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Ara-Nanjing-8-.pdf
Questions are welcome.
MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman
for KASE Hideaki, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact