The reaction by China’s public to the gory photos of the injured was furious. One million signatures were rapidly gathered on an Internet petition demanding that the Japanese government thoroughly resolve the chemical weapons issue, while Internet chat rooms filled with anti-Japanese invective.
这场最近的争执可谓是自2003年以来颇受关注的中国反日活动的典型。2003年8月，齐齐哈尔建筑工人在施工时不慎挖破侵华日军遗留的化学毒气罐，造成数十人受伤、至少一人死亡的悲剧。面对血淋淋的受伤者照片，中国人群情激愤。一百多万个签名迅速汇至一个互联网上的申诉书，要求日本政府彻底解决遗留化学武器问题，互联网聊天室里这种对日本大张挞伐的言论可谓司空见惯。