SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- An event to honor victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese aggressors in China during World War II will be held here later this week, organizers said Wednesday.
The memorial has been jointly organized by four non-profit groups in California's Bay Area, said Jennifer Cheung, chair of the Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition.
This year marks the 82nd anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, which took place on Dec. 13, 1937, when Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, before committing a number of heinous crimes.
Over six weeks, the troops killed around 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers. In February 2014, China's top legislature designated Dec. 13 as a national memorial day for victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
"We commemorate the historical event not for hatred, but for historical truth, and we want our younger generations to remember and understand that part of history, so that we can cherish (the) peace we're having today and respect each other," Cheung told Xinhua.
A short documentary will be screened at Sunday's event, which includes stories told by nearly 40 pilots from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan Province, who fought Japanese troops during the war, she added.
