Latest news with #historicalexhibition
Associated Press
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Global Times: Japanese civil group urges Tokyo to 'face history' through exhibitions of Japanese chemical warfare in WWII
06/14/2025, Beijing, China // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // A Japanese civil group recently held an exhibition in Yokohama, Japan which focused on the Japanese Imperial Army's use of chemical weapons and the dangers posed by abandoned chemical munitions during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in a bid to bring these 'dormant historical materials' to light. Nobuharu Goi, chairman of the Yokohama Committee for the Exhibition on Japanese Army's Chemical Warfare, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview that the Japanese government is attempting to erase the public's memory of the war. His organization has spent years collecting materials related to the chemical warfare conducted by the Japanese Imperial Army during its invasion of China, and has held 10 such exhibitions across Japan on the country's 'wartime perpetration' - including the Nanjing Massacre, 'comfort women,' Unit 731, chemical warfare, and the Battle of Okinawa. We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to understand the crimes committed by the Japanese military in China and urge the Japanese government to confront history, Goi said. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The exhibition was held from May 2 to 6. Approximately 120 exhibits, including historical photographs, thematic panels, and documentary materials, reveal the truth about the Japanese Imperial Army's development, production, and large-scale use of biochemical weapons in China and other places, as well as the suffering inflicted on victims due to the weapons being abandoned after Japan's defeat. Discussing the motivation behind the exhibition, 68-year-old Goi explained to the Global Times that Japan signed the 'Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare' (the Geneva Protocol) in 1925, yet continued to manufacture and use chemical weapons during the war. His organization believes it is essential to make these 'dormant historical materials' public. Notably, the promotional poster for the exhibition featured the phrase: 'This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Shouldn't we reflect on what Japan did in China?' However, these historical facts are either barely mentioned or completely omitted in contemporary Japanese textbooks, as the government attempts to gradually erase the public's memory of the war, Goi said. After visiting the exhibition, some Japanese netizens shared their thoughts on social media platforms, expressing the importance of conveying the truth of historical events to future generations. Also as a member of a Japanese civil society group 'Kanagawa Association for Promoting Memory Inheritance', Goi said they plan to hold similar exhibitions in Yokohama in August and in Tokyo in December. We hope exhibitions like this will help more people understand the crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial Army in China, deeply reflect on the suffering caused by war, and urge the Japanese government to confront history to avoid repeating past mistakes, Goi said. According to Goi, the Japanese civil society group holds annual exhibitions on relevant themes. Before each exhibition, there are concerns about potential disruptions from right-wing extremists, but fortunately, this time in Yokohama there were no incidents. He noted that most visitors reported gaining insights into topics that are rarely mentioned or completely absent in Japanese textbooks, recognizing the crimes committed by Japan during the war and finding the exhibition both rewarding and meaningful. When commenting that Japan has significantly increased its defense budget with the intention of 'expanding its military' in recent years, Goi expressed his opposition to Japan's military buildup, stating that Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution mandates that Japan renounces war and the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. He asserted, 'I believe Japan should adhere to Article 9 of the Constitution and apologize for the crimes committed during the war.' Regarding future China-Japan relations, Goi said that Japan must adhere to the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, which serve as the foundation for developing relations between the two countries.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Miniature Dover Docks model from 1815 focus of new exhibition
A miniature replica of Dover Docks created from before the days of photography is the centrepiece of a new exhibition which opened in the town's museum this of buildings which have since been demolished will be displayed in miniature to show what sites like The Garrick's Head pub in Market Square and the docks looked like in the models have been gathered as a themed display, Dover in Miniature, which will be housed in the gallery until April Iveson, Dover District Council's head of museums, said he loved the models as they were "created by people who were there, who would have walked the streets and knew what colour they were painted and how many windows they had". He added: "The idea was to produce a thematic exhibition rather than a timeline. It's about the things themselves because very seldom do we get all the models out in one go.""As people change, the way we interpret history has to change so this says more about how we learn than anything".All of the models are part of Dover Museum's collection and have been gathered together especially for the replica of the docks, from 1815, was created by harbour master James Moon who had plans to modernise the model of The Garrick's Head, dating back to 1903, was used to contest a planning application for the extension of a building opposite the allowed planners to remove the proposed extra floor and see for themselves how much light would be lost. The pub landlord won his court models on display include a scene depicting the building of the Dover Turret on Admiralty Pier, which showed the work need to move its two eight-tonne guns into exhibition also displays dolls houses and their tiny furniture as well as a wide range of model ships, toys and a tiny model garden with its own crazy paving.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Torture device used to punish gossip put on show in Leeds Museum
An historical contraption used as a brutal punishment for gossip has gone on display as part of a local history scold's bridle – a solid iron device worn over the head - is being exhibited in Ross, the city's museums and galleries' curator of social history, said the items gave visitors a chance to find out more about the city's hidden said: "It's difficult to imagine a device as brutal and cruel as the scold's bridle being used in towns and cities around the country. "It's very clearly a relic from a time when the concepts of both human rights and equality were very different to what they are today."Displaying these types of objects is an important, tangible reminder of how far society has come as well as an opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced by people who lived during an age when such an inhumane contraption was seen as an acceptable form of punishment."Used in English towns and cities as early as 1574, scold's bridles were employed to discourage individuals, usually women, who were judged to have spoken rebelliously, inappropriately or out of at Leeds City Museum, where the object is on show, believe their bridle was made in the 17th Century. They were also known as a branks, or witch's bridles. The iron frame would encase the victim's head, with a roughened iron plate located near the plate would be placed in the mouth so the victim could not move their tongue and the wearer would then be led through the streets on a chain held by one of the town's some towns, wearers would even be chained to a pillory, whipping post or market Leeds example was collected by Georgian historian Norrison Scatcherd, who lived in is on display in the museum's Leeds Story gallery, which is a changing display of finds from the city. The recent update to the exhibit also includes a silver cup made by Leeds goldsmith turned counterfeiter Arthur Mangey, which goes alongside a set of his coin-clipping Mangey was commissioned to make a silver gilt mace by Leeds City Council in 1626, but in later years he was accused of forgery and hanged in York in exhibits include a Pudsey peace jug, made by local potter John Sugden in 1801 to mark Napoleon's signing of the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII, and a bell that once hung in Leeds's Coloured Cloth Hall in 1758. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
