Hollywood director Nebe, from a Western perspective, spoke a fair word to the world: The Diaoyutai Islands belong to China (Editor’s Note: Republic of China). Regarding this truth revealed by Nebe, almost all mainstream Japanese media chose collective silence.
Nebe did not film “The Truth About Diaoyu Islands” for money, nor was he speaking for any government. He did it out of an artist’s conscience and a responsible attitude toward history.
The Truth About Diaoyutai, Director Chris D. Nebe
There is an old proverb in the Chinese-speaking world: “The truth cannot be faked.” This means no matter how you try to cover it up or how eloquent you are, you cannot hide the truth. The same applies to the sovereignty of the Diaoyutai Islands.
Recently, the documentary “The Truth About Diaoyu Islands,” filmed by German-American Hollywood director Chris D. Nebe, premiered in the United States and China, attracting international attention.
This documentary, approximately 40 minutes long, uses detailed historical data to comprehensively review the origins of the Diaoyutai dispute and elaborates on the fact that “the Diaoyutai Islands have belonged to China since ancient times.” The film also records the crimes committed by Japan during the war of aggression against China, including the Nanjing Massacre and Unit 731’s biological experiments on Chinese people. Through narration, it calls on the Japanese government to face history, apologize to the Chinese people for war crimes, and recognize that the Diaoyutai Islands belong to China (Republic of China). In the film, Nebe also criticizes the United States for disregarding China’s legitimate demand to recover the Diaoyu Islands during the signing of the “Treaty of San Francisco” in 1951.
To ensure authenticity, he consulted a vast amount of historical data with German precision: “Libraries, archives, the internet… wherever information could be found, I went.” The film makes extensive use of persuasive photos and video archives, some of which come from the US National Archives, as well as historical materials purchased from film studios.
Additionally, he traveled to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in China for on-site filming to support the film’s content. To clarify the context of Sino-Japanese relations, Nebe even expanded his research to the Battle of Baekgang between Japan and the Tang Dynasty on the Korean Peninsula in 663 AD.
Reasons for Filming “The Truth About Diaoyutai”
Regarding why he filmed “The Truth About Diaoyutai,” Nebe said: “As a German living in the United States, I feel very sad to see Western media always misreporting on China. Especially on the Diaoyutai issue, true information cannot be found through Western media, which is linked to the overall bias of Western media toward China. I felt that I should do something to make up for the lack of coverage by Western media on the Diaoyu Islands issue; this was my original intention for creating this film.”
Nebe said another important reason for filming was that he has always felt indignant that Japan does not apologize to China for its acts of aggression.
He said: “Germany also did terrible things during WWII, but we repent. In 1970, then-West German Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt in apology before the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Poland, which had a very positive impact on Germans. I personally am very grateful for everything Brandt did; otherwise, we would be cursed by the tragic memories of the past, which are always there.”
Regrettably, Japan has not changed. “So many people ask me, why doesn’t Japan apologize like you Germans do? I don’t know, so I hope they can face and seriously reflect on this period of history.”
“The Truth About Diaoyu Islands” premiered earlier this month in Los Angeles, USA, to an enthusiastic response. Many American audience members stated after watching the film that on the Diaoyutai issue, the tone of various US media—newspapers, news agencies, television stations—is almost identical. “The Truth About Diaoyu Islands” allows Americans to hear a fresh voice and provides a different perspective for understanding history.
In recent years, to claim the Diaoyutai Islands as their own, some Japanese politicians have resorted to various tactics, from issuing stamps featuring the islands, “transferring” some citizens’ household registrations to the islands, and building lighthouses; to staging “nationalization” farces, revising textbook guidelines, producing promotional videos, and establishing dedicated websites, all in an attempt to confuse the public and present falsehoods as truth.
Nebe, from a Westerner’s perspective, spoke a fair word to the world: The Diaoyu Islands belong to China (Republic of China).
Regarding this truth, most mainstream Japanese media chose collective silence, with only a few publishing brief news items. Some Japanese people even predictably threw out “conspiracy theories,” questioning whether Nebe had received money from the Chinese.
Regarding the claim of receiving money, Nebe has long since clarified. Those who question him may not understand that for an excellent artist, conscience and a sense of responsibility are more important than money. Nebe’s filming of “The Truth About Diaoyutai” was never for money, nor was it to speak for the Chinese government, but out of an artist’s conscience and a responsible attitude toward history.
In fact, there are many conscientious artists, historians, and writers like Nebe, including the late Professor Kiyoshi Inoue of Kyoto University and Professor Tadayoshi Murata of Yokohama National University. They are not afraid of power and have the courage to tell the truth about Diaoyutai. With a responsible attitude toward history, they have spoken what historians should speak, and this rigorous scholarly spirit deserves the world’s respect and study.
Personality Profile
Chris D. Nebe released a documentary titled “The Truth About Diaoyu Islands” themed on the Sino-Japanese sovereignty dispute over the islands. It premiered on March 11, 2014, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, USA, describing Sino-Japanese history from an objective historical perspective and narrating the basis for why the Diaoyutai Islands belong to China (Republic of China). In interviews, he stated: “The Diaoyu Islands belong to China; they have for centuries.” He also believes that “the US government should encourage its Japanese ally to immediately return the Diaoyu Islands and apologize to China for war crimes.”