Canada's Ontario passes motion commemorate Nanjing Massacre

Canada's Ontario provincial parliament Thursday passed a motion designating Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day to commemorate the mass killing of 300,000 Chinese by Japanese troops in Nanjing during World War II.

The passing of the motion declaring Dec. 13 annually the Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day "is significant in promoting peace and inclusive, respectful future," said Soo Wong, a member of the parliament of Ontario province who tabled the motion.

Soo Wong, a member of the parliament of Ontario province who tabled the motion. [Photo: 163.com]

She said in a press release that the designation of Nanjing Massacre Commemorative Day will "allow all Ontarians to reflect, to honour and to remember the victims, survivors and the families affected by the atrocity that occurred 80 years ago in Asia."

The parliament of Ontario, home to Canada's largest Asian community with more than 3 million of Asian descent, becomes the first regional legislature in Western countries to adopt the motion. 

Dec. 13, 2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking in the Western world. In December 1937, Japanese troops captured the city of Nanjing, then capital of China, and committed mass murder and raping with more than 300,000 local Chinese being killed.

According to Canadian federal law, a motion, though non-binding, shows the official viewpoint of the legislature.