These sources provide the following explanations.

Quote from the Asahi Graph.

硝烟下の桃源境 江南の「日の丸部落」

硝烟なほ烟る揚子江附近の片隅に、我が軍の庇護によつて平和に歸つた二つの部落がある。その一つは『日の丸部落』といはれる盛家橋部落で、入り口には『兵は立ち入るを禁ず』といふ派遣部隊長の告示がある。村長さん格におさまつてゐるのは田窪忠司部隊長で、村民たちから先生々々と慕はれている。約四百名の村民は、我が軍の保護によつて敗殘支那兵の掠奪をまぬかれ意を安んして土に親しんでいる桃源境である

(translation)

Utopia amidst the Gunpowder: The "Rising Sun" Village in Jiangnan.

There are two villages regain peace thanks to protection by our army in a corner near the Yangtze River, where gunpowder still smokes. One is Shengjiaqiao village, known as the 'Rising Sun Village.' There is a notice by the Unit Commander at the entrance: "Off-limits to soldiers." Unit Commander Takubo Chūji, who acts as village mayor, endear himself to villagers. This is a utopia where about 4000 villagers are free from looting by losing Chinese soldiers, break the earth without anxiety.

Quote form the Shina Jihen shashin zenshÅ« (chÅ«): Shanhai sensen.

硝烟下の桃源境

戰火の余燼未だ収らぬ揚子江附近、寶山縣の片隅に、我が軍の溫かい庇護の手で平和に蘇つた部落がある。その名もゆかしい「日の丸部隊」といはれる盛家橋部落で、村長さんの格に納まってゐるのが田窪忠司部隊長、村民からは先生々々と慕はれている。村民は約四百名で敗殘支那兵の掠奪もなく、土を耕し、綿を摘み、朝夕を平和に樂しむ桃源境である。

(translation)

Utopia amidst the Gunpowder

There is a village regains peace thanks to warm protection by our army in a corner of Baoshan prefecture, near the Yangtze River, where embers of battles have not yet gone. It is Shengjiaqiao village, known as the 'Rising Sun Village.' Unit Commander Takubo Chūji, who acts as village mayor, endear himself to villagers. This is a utopia where about 4000 villagers are free from looting by losing Chinese soldiers, break the earth, pick the cotton and rest peacefully in morning and evening.

The caption of the photo is:

我が兵士に護られて仕事より部落へかへる日の丸部落の女子供の群

A group of women and children of the "Rising Sun" Village returning to the village from work in protection by our soldiers

and

夕になれば白一面の綿の花畑から嬉々として我家へ歸る

In evening [villagers] happily return to their houses from white cotton field

This photograph appears in the Riguan Baohang Shilu 日寇暴行實錄, which was published by the Politburo of the Military Committee of the the Nationalist government in 1938. The caption reads:

江南農村婦女，被一批一批的押送到寇軍司令部去，凌辱!輪姦!槍殺!

Iris Chang runs this photo with the caption: "The Japanese rounded up thousands of women. Most of them were gang raped or forced into military prostitution." Her photo credit reads "Politburo of Military Committee, Taipei." In a response to criticism of her use of the picture, Chang said:

"Nowhere in the caption do I state when and where the picture was taken. My book reports on much of the horror of the Japanese invasion of China, as context for the Nanjing Massacre. In my book, the caption under the photo reads, "The Japanese rounded up thousands of women. Most were gang-raped or forced into military prostitution." Those two statements are indisputable facts." [1] Date 14 October 1937 Source It was taken by Kumasaki Tamaki 熊崎玉樹, a correspondent of the Asahi Shimbun. It was published in the November 10, 1937 issue of the Asahi Graph (アサヒグラフ Asahi Gurafu) along with his other three related photos which was taken in the same village on the same day. It reappeared in Shina Jihen shashin zenshū (chū): Shanhai sensen 支那事變寫眞全輯 中 上海戰線 (March 1938). Author Tamaki Kumasaki Permission
(Reusing this file)

Nanshu scanned this image from:

• Shina Jihen shashin zenshū (chū): Shanhai sensen 支那事變寫眞全輯 中 上海戰線, p.146, ed. Hoshino Tatsuo 星野辰男編輯, Tokyo, 1938.

Nanshu did not use the earlier Asahi Graph, but confirmed that it used the same photo with the Shina Jihen shashin zenshū (chū).

The copyright of this picture expired while Japan's old (pre-1971) copyright law was in force, as it was taken before 1956. Article 23, Section 1 of the old law stated the following:

写真著作権ハ十年間継続ス

(translation: copyright on photographs continue for ten years.)

Translation for the last line provided by 219.163.12.72 14:04, 23 December 2006 (UTC) Oscar_the_Grouch