NANJING, China, Dec. 16, 2025 — A national memorial service for victims of the Nanjing Massacre was held at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing on December 13, 2025.
Several international friends attended the ceremony and a “Candlelight Memorial” to honor the victims. They included Japan’s Sayoko Yamauchi; Christoph Reinhardt, great-grandson of John Rabe; and Friedrich Rosen, grandson of Georg Rosen—former diplomat at the German embassy in China.
“I came to Nanjing to mourn the victims and learn about the history,” Yamauchi stated. As Nanjing Massacre survivors are passing away, she hopes Japanese society will consider ways to preserve the victims’ memory and pass on historical facts. “The purpose of remembering history is to face it squarely and draw lessons from it. We look forward to more peaceful exchanges between the two peoples,” she added.
Reinhardt donated archival materials to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, including a bronze plaque engraved with the names of John Rabe and his wife, and childhood gifts Rabe received. Afterward, he took his daughter to the hall; she was shocked and said she “couldn’t believe such brutal things had happened.”
Georg Rosen helped establish the Nanjing Safety Zone and filed protests with the Japanese consulate. His “Rosen Report” to the German Foreign Ministry detailed atrocities committed by Japanese troops. “Though my grandfather suffered persecution and was forced to leave Germany because of this, he regarded his Nanjing experience as part of his life. He rarely talked about his actions there, thinking it was his duty and not something to boast about,” said Friedrich Rosen.
Source: The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders
CONTACT: Contact person: Ms. Ling, Tel: 86-10-63074558
