The China Post
Date: August 18, 2017
By: The China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The man who attacked a guard at the Presidential Office Friday

(Liberty Times)

with a katana chose a weapon deep in historical and political meanings.
The samurai sword, stolen from the Armed Forces Museum, has “Killed 107 in the Battle of Nanking” carved into its blade collar in Chinese characters, which are also widely used in Japan.

The Battle of Nanking, then the capital of the Republic of China, was one of the key battles in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The city also has loaded meaning, as it is the location of the Nanking Massacre, during which Japanese troops engaged in the mass murder and rape of residents after seizing the city.

That incident, and such acts by the Japanese in general, are commonly used by authorities in China to stir animosity of Japan and build nationalist sentiment in the process.    [FULL  STORY]