标签： Asia

A powerful photographic exhibition titled ‘Who Has Been Deceived? Face the Truth, Japanese’ opened in Tokyo on December 19, presenting compelling visual evidence of Japan’s wartime aggression in China during World War II. The exhibition, organized by three international donors, aims to educate Japanese citizens about historical truths often omitted from mainstream narratives.

French national Marcus Detrez, alongside collaborators Bastien Ratat and Zhong Haosong, curated the display featuring 618 historical photographs primarily documenting the Battle of Songhu in 1937 and the Nanjing Massacre. The collection originated from Detrez’s grandfather, Roger-Pierre Laurens, who resided in Shanghai during the 1930s and captured devastating scenes of Japanese bombings and civilian massacres.

Detrez discovered the historically significant collection in his grandfather’s garage in 2021 while working as an English language teacher in France. In August 2025, he donated the entire archive to the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for permanent preservation and academic research regarding the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The Tokyo exhibition represents part of an international awareness campaign that previously included events in Seoul and attendance at the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on December 13. The organizers produced Japanese-language educational materials and videos to enhance local understanding of the documented atrocities.

Ratat emphasized the exhibition’s critical timing, noting concerning statements from Japan’s new prime minister regarding Taiwan that potentially threaten regional stability. The organizers faced criticism from Western media outlets and encountered obstructions within Japan but remained committed to presenting factual historical accounts.

The exhibition series will continue its global tour throughout 2026 with planned events in Europe and the United States, continuing its mission of promoting historical accuracy and international peace through documented evidence.

On a windswept December morning in the southern Lebanese village of Derdghaya, a small congregation of approximately thirty worshippers gathered for Mass. Mostly elderly residents—the last remaining inhabitants of this predominantly Christian community—filed into a makeshift chapel set within their priest’s residence. Their historic Melkite Greek Catholic St. George Church, reduced to rubble by an Israeli bombing in 2023, lay just steps away as a stark reminder of ongoing conflict.

The service proceeded against a backdrop of howling winds that congregants sometimes mistook for Israeli warplanes—a haunting sound that has become tragically familiar over two years of violence. The conflict escalated significantly in September 2024 when Israel initiated a devastating bombing campaign that forced approximately one million Lebanese from their homes and killed over 4,000 people. While a November 2024 ceasefire agreement reduced large-scale hostilities, Israeli strikes continue almost daily in southern Lebanon, claiming more than 330 lives since the truce began.

Despite this atmosphere of destruction and uncertainty, Christmas preparations continue across southern Lebanon’s diverse religious communities. In Derdghaya, construction workers in bright red hats sorted through church debris during Sunday’s service, attempting to stabilize the structure with scaffolding. Plastic candy canes and Santa figurines swayed precariously in the wind, symbolic of both celebration and fragility.

Georges Elia, a local social activist and son of the village mukhtar, has spearheaded Christmas celebrations despite personal challenges. Recently injured in a serious road accident that nearly cost him both legs, Elia dressed as Santa and visited schools in neighboring Muslim villages on a motorcycle decorated as a sleigh.

The situation is particularly dire in border villages like Deir Mimas, where resident Rami (a pseudonym for security reasons) described adapting to near-daily bombings. “We’ve gotten used to it,” the 26-year-old university student remarked with ironic laughter. His medieval monastery village, which suffered Israeli military incursions including tank and bulldozer damage to its cemetery, has seen many residents flee despite the ceasefire.

Displacement statistics remain incomplete due to Lebanon’s registration system that ties citizens to ancestral villages regardless of actual residence. Pierre Atallah, mayor of the border village Rachaya al-Fukhar, estimates his community lost approximately 20 of its 120 households since the conflict began. Yet he plans to bring his family to the village for Christmas, where a public tree awaits amidst ongoing concerns about regional stability.

The lingering threat of escalation shadows holiday preparations. Lebanon approaches an end-of-year deadline to disarm Hezbollah south of the Litani River per the ceasefire agreement—a task Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated on Saturday is nearing completion. For now, southern Lebanon’s Christians maintain their traditions with resilient determination, celebrating Christmas in damaged villages where wind howls mimic warplanes and church services occur amidst rubble.

In a significant development for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, global insurance giants Allianz and Aviva have terminated their insurance policies with Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. This decision follows sustained pressure from pro-Palestine activists, including direct actions and protests targeting the companies’ operations.

According to campaign groups, Allianz ceased its coverage of Elbit Systems on November 1st, while Aviva ended its employment liability insurance for UAV Engines Ltd, an Elbit subsidiary, on September 7th. The campaign was spearheaded by Palestine Action, an organization that was subsequently proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK government in July.

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, characterized the insurers’ withdrawal as a victory for direct action tactics, stating this outcome demonstrates why the government moved to ban their organization. The development highlights the growing financial pressure on companies with ties to Israel’s military industry.

Elbit Systems maintains a dominant position in supplying Israel’s military, providing approximately 80% of weapons and equipment for land forces and 85% of combat drones used by the air force. The company has faced persistent allegations of complicity in Israeli military actions against Palestinians.

The activist campaign involved coordinated demonstrations at multiple Allianz offices, including an occupation of their City of London branch in March where premises were spray-painted. Aviva’s Bristol center was similarly targeted in January over its insurance of drone engines linked to an April 2024 attack that killed seven aid workers, including three British veterans.

In response to the insurance withdrawals, Elbit has secured alternative coverage through Aspen Insurance for its UK operations, while Chubb now provides insurance for UAV Engines. This transition has not gone uncontested, as Aspen’s London offices were recently blockaded by activists from Prisoners for Palestine, who sprayed red paint on the entrance.

The situation gained international attention when Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested outside Aspen’s offices for displaying a placard supporting Palestine Action prisoners. She was subsequently released on bail, with police citing violation of anti-terrorism legislation prohibiting support for proscribed organizations.

Neither Allianz nor Aviva provided official comments regarding their policy changes when contacted by media outlets. The developments underscore the ongoing tension between activist movements targeting military supply chains and government counter-terrorism measures.