Reference News Network, September 4 report: Recently, Japanese historian of the history of the Chinese War of Resistance against Japan, Associate Professor Masahiro Hironaka of Aichi Gakusen University, gave an exclusive interview to Reference News reporters Feng Wuyong, Chen Ze'an and Hu Xiaoge, stating that the anti-Japanese base areas in North China led by the Communist Party of China made a crucial contribution to China's ultimate victory through protracted warfare. He also emphasized that as a Japanese person, if one wants to reflect on the entire "Sino-Japanese War" (i.e., the Chinese War of Resistance against Japan), it should pay more attention to the research on the "later stage of the Sino-Japanese War" after the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941, especially the North China battlefield led by the Communist Party. The interview content is as follows:
Reference News: What was the opportunity that made you start paying attention and researching the later stage of the War of Resistance against Japan, especially the North China battlefield?
Masahiro Hironaka: The "later stage of the Sino-Japanese War" I mentioned refers to the latter four years, which coincided with the period of the Pacific War. At that time, the focus of domestic Japan had shifted to the Pacific War, and interest in the Chinese battlefield gradually decreased. Even after the war, Japan's attention to this period of the Chinese battlefield remained low, and corresponding research was also limited. However, as a Japanese person, if one wants to reflect on the entire "Sino-Japanese War", it must also understand the latter half of the war. China is vast, especially with the Yangtze River as the boundary, the characteristics of the northern and southern battlefields are very different, so I wrote two books, one mainly discussing the battlefield south of the Yangtze River; the other focuses on the North China battlefield, because the North China battlefield was equally important, especially the fierce battles between the Japanese army and the Eighth Route Army led by the Communist Party. Therefore, I believe that the North China battlefield must be paid attention to.
Reference News: What tactics did the Eighth Route Army adopt?
Masahiro Hironaka: The Eighth Route Army implemented a thorough protracted war in North China, dragging the Japanese army into the interior of China, making them deeply entrenched in the battlefield and firmly controlled, causing the front line to stretch, which was also an important reason why the Japanese failed to win. From this point of view, the protracted war on the North China battlefield was very important.
Mao Zedong's "On Protracted War" left a deep impression on me. In his book, he clearly pointed out that although China was weak, it would definitely win, and China would not be destroyed. By carefully reading "On Protracted War," one can find that Mao Zedong's ultimate goal was actually peace. A protracted war for the sake of achieving peace. This was a just war, a struggle between justice and injustice. Only when justice triumphs over evil can true peace come. To achieve this goal, Mao conducted an extremely thorough analysis in his book, thinking about how to win.
After the Xi'an Incident, the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang achieved the second cooperation, forming the Anti-Japanese National United Front. The fact that the Communist Party chose to cooperate with the Kuomintang was itself very critical. Although there were many contradictions between the two parties, the Communist Party still cooperated with the Kuomintang, adopting tactics such as guerrilla warfare, successfully forcing the Japanese army into a desperate situation, and ultimately achieving victory.
In summary, Mao Zedong and the Communist Party thought about how to defeat the strong Japanese army from the perspective that "China was weak and Japan was strong." Mao's idea was to gradually lead the Japanese army into the interior, consuming the enemy through protracted warfare, and then launching a counterattack when the enemy was exhausted. In this way, the Eighth Route Army had already gained control of the entire battlefield in China.
Reference News: You wrote in your book that "the Eighth Route Army is not just an army," why do you say that?
Masahiro Hironaka: The Eighth Route Army is not just an army, it is an army led by the Communist Party of China. The Communist Party not only leads the party, but it is an organization that leads the party, government, military, and people. Therefore, the Eighth Route Army is not just an army, but an organization that integrates the party, military, officials, and people, and is an organization that is integrated with the party and the people. Therefore, under difficult combat conditions, the people will support the Eighth Route Army; and when the people suffer, the Eighth Route Army will stand up to protect them. When the Japanese army attacks villages, the people will actively inform the Eighth Route Army. It is precisely due to the support of the people that the Eighth Route Army can effectively carry out guerrilla warfare.
Why did the vast rural areas and farmers in China support the Eighth Route Army? That is exactly where the Communist Party was very skilled. The Communist Party educated and publicized the farmers, and the farmers supported the Communist Party, actively carried out production activities, joined the militia, and participated in the war of resistance. Therefore, the Communist Party's concept of a national war of resistance was widely spread in the countryside, and the farmers supported the Communist Party and actively participated in the war of resistance.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546061018892419624/
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