IRREPLACEABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

With a motto of "stop the invasive war, awaken the Japanese soldiers and save them from being the food for power," the alliance sought to spread anti-war sentiment among Japanese soldiers, according to Zhang Jianhua, another historian with the research team.

They tried to persuade Japanese soldiers to quit the war by circulating flyers written in Japanese and talking to them via handmade speakers on the battlefields. They even called them by telephone.

They also sent homesick Japanese soldiers gift bags, which was a tradition in Japan. The gift bag contained letters, Japanese paintings, Japan's national flower, the sakura , and cigarettes and walnuts, which were considered a luxury during wartime, said Hu, "The gift bag made soldiers, already worn-out by the war, miss their family more and want the war to end."

"Their contributions are irreplaceable as, obviously, they could earn more trust among Japanese soldiers than the Chinese because they were fellow countrymen to them and many of the alliance members were also former soldiers," said Hu.

Those who surrendered and converted made up only 7 percent of captured Japanese soldiers in 1940. But, the percentage grew to 18 in 1942 and 48 in 1943, according to statistics from the alliance, which was provided by the research team.

During the eight-year resistance war, the Chinese Communist Party forces captured more than 6,000 Japanese soldiers, among whom over 1,000 later turned their back on militarism and helped China to stop the aggression.

"At least 36 anti-war Japanese sacrificed in China for the world peace," Hu said.

Besides persuasion, the anti-war Japanese also taught Chinese soldiers military skills and helped with health services and schooling in war-plagued China.