Historical point on "1989 political storm (64 Incident)": The number of victims is said to be from hundreds to thousands, but the exact number is unknown.

[Context & Analysis] There are various theories about the number of victims of the Tiananmen Incident, and the exact number is still unknown. The Chinese government officially announced that there were about 200 to 300 people (including military personnel). The Chinese Red Cross initially announced that the number would be 2,600, but later withdrew the number. In British diplomatic documents declassified in 2017, Alan Donald, the British ambassador to China, reported back home that the "minimum estimate is 10,000 civilian deaths." Many researchers support estimates ranging from a few hundred people to over a thousand. [Verdict] Estimates vary (large discrepancy between official figures and international estimates) (Source: Tiananmen Square protest death toll 'was 10,000' [BBC News], The Tiananmen Papers [PublicAffairs])

Historical point on "1989 political storm (64 Incident)": ``Tankman'' became a symbol of individual courage in the face of tyranny.

[Context & Analysis] On June 5, 1989, a man stood in front of a convoy of tanks moving from Tiananmen Square down Chang'an Street, and the footage was broadcast around the world. He was known as ``Tank Man'' or ``Unknown Rebel,'' and was included in Time magazine's ``100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century.'' His identity and whereabouts are still unknown, and the footage is heavily censored in China. [Verdict] Video recording available (identity of person not confirmed) (Source: TIME 100: The Most Important People of the Century [TIME Magazine])

Historical point on "1989 political storm (64 Incident)": The Chinese government is thoroughly censoring information about the Tiananmen incident.

[Context & Analysis] Internet searches related to the Tiananmen Incident are severely restricted in China, and related terms such as "64," "Tiananmen," and "Tankman" are subject to censorship on Chinese social media and search engines. Censorship is especially tightened around June 4th every year. In Chinese textbooks, there is almost no mention of the incident, or it is only mentioned briefly as ``the end of the turmoil.'' It is said that many of the younger generation do not know the details of the incident. [Verdict] There are multiple lines of evidence. (Source: The People's Republic of Amnesia: Tiananmen Revisited (in Japanese) [Oxford University Press], China's Great Firewall and Tiananmen Censorship [Citizen Lab, University of Toronto])

Historical point on "1989 political storm (64 Incident)": General Secretary Zhao Ziyang was ousted because he took a sympathetic stance toward students.

[Context & Analysis] Zhao Ziyang, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party at the time, advocated dialogue with the student movement, visiting Tiananmen Square on May 19 and tearfully telling the students, ``We came too late.'' This action was deemed to go against the policies of hard-liners (Deng Xiaoping, Li Peng, and others), and Zhao Ziyang was dismissed from all his duties. He was then placed under house arrest for approximately 15 years until his death in 2005. Zhao Ziyang's memoirs were published overseas after his death. [Verdict] Official records/multiple testimonies available (Source: Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang [Simon & Schuster])

Historical point on "1989 political storm (64 Incident)": Western countries imposed arms embargoes and economic sanctions on China.

[Context & Analysis] In response to the Tiananmen Incident, the United States suspended arms sales to China in June 1989 and froze high-level military and government-to-government exchanges. The EU (then EC) also decided to impose an arms embargo on China, and this measure continues into the 2020s. Although Japan took measures such as temporarily freezing yen loans, it was relatively quick among Western countries to normalize relations with China, and in 1991, Prime Minister Kaifu became the first Western leader to visit China after the Tiananmen Incident. [Verdict] Official records available (Source: U.S. Arms Embargo on China [U.S. Congressional Research Service], EU Arms Embargo on China [SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)])

How is "1989 political storm (64 Incident)" described in China's history textbooks?

In the spring of 1989, some students in Beijing gathered in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the death of former General Secretary Hu Yaobang, against a backdrop of dissatisfaction with rising prices and bureaucratic corruption that accompanied the progress of reform and opening up. Initially, it was a patriotic activity, but a very small number of people took advantage of it to cause unrest, which developed into a situation that threatened social stability and national security. (Source: Chinese history textbooks/official government opinion (general description))

How is "1989 political storm (64 Incident)" described in Japan's history textbooks?

In April 1989, the death of Hu Yaobang, former general secretary of the Communist Party of China, who was known as a reformist, sparked a large-scale democratization movement led by university students in Beijing. Students gathered in Tiananmen Square to demand political reform, freedom of speech, and an end to bureaucratic corruption. The movement expanded to include intellectuals, workers, and citizens, and spread not only to Beijing but also to Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other parts of the country. At its peak, more than 1 million people are said to have gathered in Tiananmen Square. (Source: Japanese world history textbook (general description))

1989 political storm (64 Incident) | HistoryDiff

All Perspectives(3)

Neutrality Commitment|

This project does not aim to criticize or defend any specific historical narrative or nation. We objectively present differences in textbook and official descriptions to encourage multi-faceted understanding.

ArchiveCold War, Human Rights, and Democracy1989Beijing Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

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Related Photos1

Replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (2009). A memorial to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

Source: Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 3.0

United StatesCold War, Human Rights, and Democracy1989Beijing Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

Source:American high school history textbook (general description)

Source Nature:

Commercial / Standard TextbookOriginal Language

In the spring of 1989, millions of students, workers, and citizens rose up in Beijing, the capital of China, demanding democracy and freedom. Tiananmen Square became a center of peaceful protests and a Statue of Democracy statue, modeled after the Statue of Liberty, was erected. This movement was a symbolic event at the end of the Cold War, when there were a series of popular uprisings against communist dictatorships around the world.

But on June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party made the shocking decision to turn tanks and troops against its own citizens, with the world watching. The People's Liberation Army brutally attacked unarmed protesters in and around Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds to thousands. The iconic image of a man standing in front of a convoy of tanks (“Tankman”) has become a global icon of individual courage against tyranny.

The Tiananmen Massacre was widely condemned by the international community, and Western countries, including the United States, imposed arms embargoes and economic sanctions on China. However, the Chinese Communist Party does not accept any responsibility and is thoroughly censoring and deleting information about the incident, attempting to erase it from the public's memory. The Tiananmen Incident was one of the greatest human rights violations of the 20th century, violently trampling on the universal values of democracy and human rights, and demonstrated to the world the essential brutality of authoritarian regimes. The United States commemorates the Tiananmen Square massacre every June 4 and continues to advocate for political freedom and human rights in China.

Perspectives Summary

Item	China	Japan	United States
Title	1989 political storm (64 Incident)	Tiananmen Incident - Democratic Movement and Armed Repression	Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom
Category	Political movements/social stability	Democracy movements and human rights issues	Cold War, Human Rights, and Democracy
Era	1989	1989	1989
Source	Chinese history textbooks/official government opinion (general description) Official / Authorized TextbookVia Translation	Japanese world history textbook (general description) Commercial / Standard TextbookVia Translation	American high school history textbook (general description) Commercial / Standard TextbookOriginal Language
Excerpt	In the spring of 1989, some students in Beijing gathered in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the death of former General …	In April 1989, the death of Hu Yaobang, former general secretary of the Communist Party of China, who was known as a ref…	In the spring of 1989, millions of students, workers, and citizens rose up in Beijing, the capital of China, demanding d…

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Notes on this comparison

This comparison is based on general descriptions from official or widely used history textbooks in each country. While minor nuances may change in translation, the goal is to highlight differences in how major events are perceived, the order of description, and what is emphasized. In particular, notable differences in the naming of events and the background of their occurrence can be seen between "United States" and "China".

Item

China

Japan

United States

Title

1989 political storm (64 Incident)

Tiananmen Incident - Democratic Movement and Armed Repression

Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

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Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

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Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

Tiananmen Square Massacre - Repression of Freedom

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