A single film stoking anti-Japanese sentiment is shaking all of China the moment it opened.
On the 18th, the Chinese film "731," which deals with the atrocities of human experiments committed by Japan's Kwantung Army Unit 731, rewrote Chinese box-office history upon release.
According to a compilation of Chinese media such as Xinhua and Japanese media including the Mainichi Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun, "731," which opened nationwide in China that day, set a new Chinese film industry record with 260,000 screenings on its first day. Ticket revenue that day alone exceeded 300 million yuan (about 58 billion won).
Unit 731, well known in Korea, was stationed in Harbin, China, during World War II and carried out brutal human experiments on at least more than 3,000 people, including Koreans, Chinese, and Russians. The film graphically depicts the horrific process in which ordinary Chinese are dragged to Unit 731 and subjected to various experiments such as frostbite, poison gas, and live dissection.
The filmmakers said they verified historical facts by analyzing more than 8,000 pages of declassified documents and 423 hours of video testimony from former unit members over more than 10 years of preparation. China has no legally enforced official film rating system like the Korea Media Rating Board or the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Any film shown in theaters is released as suitable for all ages once it passes review by the National Film Administration under the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department. If it fails the review, screening is banned. Chinese media reported that day that audiences, including young students, were seen in tears during showings at theaters across the country.
Sept. 18, the day the movie opened, is China's National Humiliation Day. On this day in 1931, exactly 94 years earlier, the Japanese Kwantung Army staged a false-flag railroad explosion near Liutiaohu in Shenyang to spark the Manchurian Incident. Using the incident as a pretext, Japan invaded Manchuria and established the puppet state of Manchukuo.
Lin Jian, Spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press briefing that day, when asked, "China is releasing a series of World War II–related films this year; is there a particular message you want to send to Japan?" that the intent is "to remember history, honor the martyrs, cherish peace, and open up the future," adding that it is "to send a message to the world that we should use history as a mirror and safeguard peace." He added, "China is an open, inclusive, and safe country, and we welcome people from all countries, including Japan, to visit China."
China has designated this year as the 80th anniversary of victory in the war of resistance against Japan and has held large-scale commemorative events. The release of the anti-Japanese film "731" timed to Sept. 18 (the 94th anniversary of the Manchurian Incident) aligns with this trend. Every Chinese film shown in theaters is guided by the Communist Party's Propaganda Department from the planning and production stages. The authorities effectively decide whether and when it opens. Major Japanese media interpreted the background as an attempt to stoke patriotism and strengthen unity through an anti-Japanese narrative amid a slowing economy and rising internal discontent.
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun wrote in an editorial, "The film 731 was originally scheduled to open in late Jul., but it may have been released on Sept. 18 at the direction of the authorities," analyzing that "it is no coincidence that a revenge film stoking anti-Japanese sentiment opened at this time. The Communist Party's strong will to make patriotism its governing base was at work." The Mainichi Shimbun likewise said, "The Chinese Communist Party is emphasizing anti-Japanese history to increase its centripetal force."
As anti-Japanese sentiment spikes to extremes, the Japanese community living in China is gripped by anxiety amid a string of assaults. On this day a year earlier in Shenzhen, China, a 10-year-old Japanese boy attending a Japanese school was killed by a Chinese man. In Jun. last year in Suzhou, a Japanese school bus was attacked, injuring a Japanese mother and child and killing a Chinese attendant. In Jul. this year, also in Suzhou, a Japanese woman with a child was struck with a stone by an assailant. At the time, Chinese authorities concluded the cases without clearly stating the motives, amplifying unease in the Japanese community.
The Japanese school in Shenzhen where the incident occurred closed for two days on the 18th and 19th to mark National Humiliation Day this year. Japanese schools in seven regions, including Shanghai, switched to online classes. The Japanese Embassy in China urged its nationals to "refrain from speaking Japanese when going out," calling for caution. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun criticized in an editorial, saying, "China is recklessly stoking 'anti-Japanese' sentiment and threatening the safety of Japanese people," and added, "We are deeply concerned."
As festering historical issues repeatedly hobble relations between the two countries, there is growing concern that emotional confrontation could spill over into economic problems. China, the world's second-largest economy, is at odds with the United States, the No. 1 economic power, across the board over issues such as tariff. To revive the economy, it cannot avoid exchanges with Japan, the No. 4 economic power. As of 2023, trade between the two countries totaled $317.9 billion (about 440 trillion won). Going beyond "No Japan" to "hate Japan" could damage bilateral relations and throw cold water on economic exchanges. A Japanese government official said, "We cannot interfere with commemorative events or film content, but we are strongly urging the Chinese authorities to ensure that Japanese people do not suffer harm."
It remains uncertain whether the initial success of "731" can reopen a heyday for patriotic films in China over the long term. There are projections that patriotic propaganda led by state media will struggle to gain traction over time. Previously, the "Wolf Warrior" series, directed by and starring Wu Jing, was considered the pinnacle of Chinese patriotic cinema. The film was a sensation for its line, "The Chinese passport will bring you home from anywhere in the world." But as it became known that Chinese people stranded in overseas conflict zones could not get government help and various influencers scrutinized the claim, the film's patriotism became an object of cynicism and ridicule. Since then, even Wu Jing has been criticized as past remarks were dredged up, leading to analysis that even Chinese audiences are feeling fatigue with excessive patriotic narratives.