The Nanking Beheading Contest

Summary

This video delves into a disturbing and little-known episode during the Nanking Massacre in 1937. It recounts a grotesque competition between two Japanese officers, Toshiaki Mukai and Suyoshi Noda, to see who could behead the most Chinese civilians during the invasion. The story is told with a mix of dark humor and historical context, shedding light on the horrors of war while incorporating an ironic product placement. The narrative also touches on the aftermath, including the discovery of the competition during post-war trials and the ongoing denial of the massacre in Japan.

Takeaways

• 😀 The script opens with a comparison between friendly competitions and serious, high-stakes professional competitions.
• 😀 The main topic shifts to a disturbing historical event during the Nanking Massacre, focusing on a beheading contest between two Japanese officers.
• 😀 The officers, Toshiaki Mukai and Suyoshi Noda, engaged in a competition to see who could behead 100 Chinese people the fastest during the Japanese occupation of Nanking.
• 😀 The beheading contest was initially planned as a duel between the officers but was later extended to include more victims after they surpassed their initial target.
• 😀 The contest was reported in wartime Japanese media as a sport-like event, fueling the perverse nature of the competition as it was framed as a public spectacle.
• 😀 The officers' actions during the contest were discovered and deemed war crimes by the 1947 Tokyo Trials, leading to their eventual prosecution and execution by firing squad.
• 😀 Despite the officers being sentenced to death, their execution was seen as lacking poetic justice because they were not beheaded.
• 😀 The Nanking Massacre and the beheading contest were largely suppressed or denied in Japan for decades, with the event remaining a taboo subject in the country.
• 😀 In the 1960s, historian Tommy O'Hora rediscovered reports on the beheading contest, leading to its reemergence in public consciousness.
• 😀 The Nanking Massacre and the competition continue to be controversial subjects in Japan, with nationalist groups and certain members of society denying its occurrence and minimizing its impact.

Q & A

What was the core premise of the beheading contest mentioned in the script?

The beheading contest was a competition between two Japanese lieutenants, Toshiaki Mukai and Suyoshi Noda, during the occupation of Nanking in 1937. They competed to see who could behead the most Chinese people the fastest, turning what should have been a personal rivalry into a brutal and horrifying contest during wartime.

How did the media report the beheading contest during the war?

Instead of condemning the contest, wartime Japanese media, which was influenced by ultra-nationalist government factions, treated it as a sporting event. They published updates on the competition's progress, portraying it as a form of entertainment rather than acknowledging the war crimes taking place.

What led to the beheading contest between Mukai and Noda?

The contest stemmed from a rivalry between the two officers, both of whom were sword-carrying officers. Unable to duel each other in a formal setting, they decided to challenge each other to see who could behead 100 Chinese people the fastest.

Why did Mukai and Noda switch to beheading non-combatants?

Mukai and Noda initially attempted to kill Chinese soldiers in combat, but soon realized that civilians and non-combatants, who were less likely to be armed, provided easier targets. This led them to shift their focus to beheading unarmed Chinese civilians.

What was the final outcome of the beheading contest?

Both Mukai and Noda surpassed the original target of 100 beheadings, with their counts going well beyond. However, they extended the target to 150 heads after losing track of the number of victims. The exact winner of the contest remains unclear to this day.

How was the beheading contest discovered after World War II?

The beheading contest was uncovered during the 1947 Tokyo Trials, where war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War were prosecuted. Mukai and Noda were arrested, and the details of their horrific competition were revealed during their trial.

What was the punishment for Mukai and Noda after the discovery of the contest?

Mukai and Noda were found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death. They were executed by firing squad on January 28th, 1948, but not in the poetic justice of a beheading. Instead, they were shot by a firing squad on a mountain overlooking Nanjing.

Why did the Japanese government and media deny or downplay the Nanking Massacre?

The Japanese government, particularly ultra-nationalist groups, denied or downplayed the Nanking Massacre and the beheading contest to protect national pride and prevent further damage to Japan's reputation. This denial continues in some circles to this day, with groups like Nippon Kaigi leading the charge.

What role did historians play in revealing the truth about the Nanking Massacre?

Historians, such as Tommy O'Hora and Katsuichi Honda, played a crucial role in uncovering the truth about the Nanking Massacre. O'Hora published a report on the event in the 1960s, and Honda's articles in 1971 brought the beheading contest and the massacre back into the public consciousness, despite resistance from some Japanese factions.

How did the families of Mukai and Noda respond to the reporting on the beheading contest?

In 2003, the families of Mukai and Noda filed a defamation lawsuit against Katsuichi Honda and the newspapers that reported the beheading contest, demanding a retraction and a monetary payout. However, the Tokyo District Court ruled against the plaintiffs, acknowledging that the story was 'extremely questionable' but not definitively denying it.