The “War of Resistance against Japan”: Shaping the Image of the Aggressor by the Chinese Communist Party

Abstract

The Sino-Japanese War of 1937–1945, known in China as the “War of Resistance against Japan”, remains an integral part of the official rhetoric of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Considering the key role of the War of Resistance in understanding the perception of Japan by China today, this article studies the formation of Japan’s image by the CCP during and after the war. The research is based on official publications of the CCP, statements of party leaders, and works by Russian and foreign researchers. The first part deals with the perception of Japan by the communists during the war. Particular attention here is paid to the importance of the context of the Chinese Civil War and the global revolutionary and class struggle in shaping of the image of the aggressor. The second part traces the evolution of Japan’s image following the changes in political priorities of the CCP after the war and the increasing prominence of the “victimization narrative” in China in recent decades. The third part illustrates the connection of historical memory to the current problems of Sino-Japanese relations and reveals the role of Japan’s image in contemporary political rhetoric of the CCP. The analysis clearly demonstrates the influence of political and ideological factors on the formation of the image of the aggressor. At the same time, it is obvious that the complexity of Japan's perception intrinsic to the war period in China remains up to the present day.