April 26, 1947. Nanking.


 April 26, 1947. Nanking. A rope, a condemned man and a memory of a heinous event that no one would ever forget. Lieutenant General Hisao Tani was put to death by hanging. He had led Japans 6th Division in the Nanking Massacre of 1937, a time of killing and fear that would forever change the city.

When Japan fell, men such as Tani were unable to conceal themselves. The Nanking War Crimes Tribunal dragged things into the light of day. Survivors testified on the stand and recounted tales that seemed too evil to be believed. Japanese soldier's even acknowledged what they had witnessed. The proof stacked up and the judgment was unequivocal. Guilty. The sentence was death.

When the trapdoor closed it did not execute only one man. It was a symbol. It was a symbol of justice or at least humankind's attempt at it. It was a warning to others who thought that they could do terrible thing's and escape punishment.But justice cannot reverse what happened before. It cannot bring back the families that were lost during Nanking. Tani died but the massacre is still in our mind's. It is still a wound and a reminder that the darkness is always lurking.

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