Chapter 53 Research Occupied Area[1]

(October 1, 1939) The question of China's occupied areas is a question of life and death for Japanese imperialism.At the present stage, it is the determined policy of Japanese imperialism to concentrate on aggression against China. At the present stage, the enemy's way of invading China, such as frontal military offensives, large-scale strategic offensives (not counting campaigns to a certain extent), and actions such as the large-scale attack on Wuhan, are unlikely.The enemy's methods of aggression have basically shifted to two aspects: political offensive and economic offensive.The so-called political attack is to split China's anti-Japanese united front, create friction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and lure China to surrender.The so-called economic offensive is to operate the occupied areas of China, develop industry and commerce in the occupied areas, and use them to destroy our country's anti-Japanese economy.

In order to achieve his goal of economic offensive, he needs to launch a "mopping up" war against our guerrilla warfare, establish a unified puppet regime, and destroy the national spirit of the people in our occupied areas. Therefore, the problem of the enemy-occupied areas has become an extremely serious problem in the second stage of the War of Resistance - the stage of the stalemate between ourselves and the enemy. In the stage of stalemate between the enemy and the enemy, the enemy is the stage of securing the occupied territory and preparing to further destroy the whole of China; in China, it is the stage of securing the unlost territory and preparing to recover the occupied areas.In order to secure the occupied territory and destroy the whole of China, the enemy prepared the conditions by operating the occupied areas.In order to ensure that we have not lost ground and to recover the occupied areas, we have to make preparations in all aspects.The most active support for guerrilla warfare and the reform of domestic politics are the two major policies aimed at undermining the enemy's plans to realize our plans.

Under such circumstances, the study of the enemy-occupied areas is urgent.On this question, there is the enemy's side and our side.On our side, there is the question of how to support guerrilla warfare. Needless to say, it is very important to study this question.On the enemy's side is what the enemy has done and will do in the occupied areas. Studying this question is the starting point for studying the previous question. Without understanding the enemy's situation, we have no way of dealing with it. But in this regard, nine out of ten anti-Japanese cadres did not study or did not systematically study the question of what the enemy has done in the occupied areas and how it is going to do it.This indicates the importance and necessity of calling attention to this issue.

In order to study all important current affairs issues, Yan'an organized a "Current Affairs Issues Research Association". In addition to research and discussion, the comrades also started to edit the "Current Affairs Issues Series", which is divided into Japanese issues, issues of occupied areas, international issues, and China during the War of Resistance. Questions such as these four issues are studied, materials are collected separately, and reference books are published in the style of comprehensive abstracts."Japanese Imperialism in War", which was published in July this year, can be regarded as the first book to study the situation of Japanese imperialism in its own country, that is, the first volume of the "Current Affairs Issues Series".The now published "Japanese Imperialism in the Occupied Areas of China" (referred to as "Japan in the Occupied Areas") is the first book on the study of the situation in the Occupied Areas, which is the second volume of the "Current Affairs Issues Series".The remaining two issues will also be published successively.

It is really necessary and important to systematically study current affairs in this way and provide materials for all anti-Japanese cadres. "Blind men fish for fish", close your eyes and talk nonsense, this kind of style should be abandoned. "Without investigation, there is no right to speak", or, "to study current affairs, one must first possess materials in detail", this is the minimum point of scientific methodology, and it is not a "narrow empiricism". Finally, it should be pointed out that this kind of current affairs issues series is only a material book. It is important material, but it is only material, and it is still incomplete material, and the problem has not been solved.To solve the problem, research is required, and conclusions need to be drawn from the materials. This is another kind of work, and it is not solved in this kind of book.

Based on "Japanese Imperialism in China's Occupied Areas" published by Liberation Press in 1939. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is the preface written by Mao Zedong for the second volume of "Current Issues Series" compiled by Yan'an Current Affairs Issues Research Association, "Japanese Imperialism in China's Occupied Areas".