This chapter traces how the infamous “babies on bayonets” story—exposed as false during the Gulf War—was repurposed against Japan without proper verification, highlighting the failure of academic due diligence and the persistence of reputational harm.

April 29, 2016

This follows the previous chapter.

In fact, during the Gulf War as well, a girl testified before a U.S. congressional hearing that she had witnessed this very story of “babies on bayonets.”

Once again, it was concluded that the Iraqi army were beasts.

Postwar verification revealed that the girl was the daughter of a Kuwaiti diplomat living in the United States, and that her testimony had been fabricated.

Yet even after it was exposed as a lie, no one reacted as if it mattered, and the disgrace inflicted on the Iraqi army was left intact.

It can be called a standard, stock lie.

And now it is claimed that Japanese soldiers committed the same acts in Malaya.

Upon hearing such a story, 林博史 should, first and foremost for the sake of Japanese honor, have examined whether the Chinese residents were lying, identified which Japanese units were supposedly involved, searched for surviving witnesses to hear their accounts, and investigated whether there were Malay eyewitnesses—less biased than the Chinese—who could corroborate the claims.

That would be proper verification.

From my own personal experience, I have never encountered Chinese residents who do not lie.

Yet I have never heard that he carried out any such verification.

To be continued.