▁with ▁their ▁Chinese ▁counter parts . ▁The ▁Japanese ▁army , ▁need ing ▁rein for c ements , ▁claimed ▁that ▁hundreds ▁of ▁Japanese ▁residents ▁had ▁been ▁mass ac red ▁by ▁the ▁Chinese ▁troops . ▁Although ▁the ▁dead ▁actually ▁number ed ▁no ▁more ▁than ▁th ir teen ▁or ▁four teen ▁sus pected ▁op ium ▁sm ug gl ers , ▁Japanese ▁newsp apers ▁react ed ▁to ▁their ▁death s ▁with ▁out rage ▁and ▁demanded ▁armed ▁inter vention . ▁Japan ’ s ▁prime ▁minister ▁dispatch ed ▁an ▁additional ▁division ▁to ▁the ▁region , ▁and ▁the ▁troops ▁launched ▁an ▁attack ▁against ▁Jin an , ▁killing ▁and ▁w ounding ▁thousands ▁of ▁Chinese ▁civ ili ans . ▁ ▁Th eme ▁ ▁K uro sh ima ' s ▁novel ▁dep ict s ▁a ▁broad ▁array ▁of ▁people , ▁including ▁mer cil ess ly ▁explo ited ▁Chinese ▁factory ▁workers , ▁imp over ished ▁Japanese ▁residents , ▁and ▁increasing ly ▁radical ized ▁Japanese ▁soldiers . ▁Sta unch ly ▁ant im il itar ist ▁in ▁tone , ▁the ▁novel ▁was ▁instantly ▁b anned , ▁cens ored ▁again ▁fifteen ▁years ▁later ▁by ▁the ▁US ▁occupation ▁authorities , ▁and ▁not ▁repr int ed ▁in ▁full ▁until ▁ 1 9 7 0 , ▁four ▁dec ades ▁after ▁its ▁initial ▁publication . ▁The ▁poet ▁and ▁ess ay ist ▁Sh ige ji ▁T sub oi , ▁K uro sh ima ’ s ▁lif el ong ▁friend ▁who ▁was ▁instrument al ▁in ▁publishing ▁the ▁work , ▁has ▁comm ended ▁its ▁un comp rom ising ▁anti - imper ial ism .