China, Republic; Japan, Empire. A Commemorative Medal For The First Visit Of President Wang Jingwei To Tokyo 1941

In bronze gilt, the obverse bearing the Kuomintang insignia in red, white and blue enamels, measuring 30.7 mm in diameter, intact enamels, greening and oxidation evident on the reverse, on its original tri-colour ribbon with hook and eye, very fine.

Footnote:

1. The Commemorative Medal for the First Visit of President Wang Jingwei to Tokyo was established in 1941. Wang Jingwei departed Nanjing by plane on June 13, 1941, the thirtieth year of the Republic of China, sailing from the port of Shanghai on June 14th. After three days at sea, the Chinese delegation arrived in Tokyo, Japan on the 17th, where Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe led the crowd in greeting the Chinese delegation. On June 23rd, Wang Jingwei and Fuminaro Konoe signed the "Joint Declaration", stating that "the common goal of both parties" is to "realize the coexistence and co-prosperity of East Asian revival". Wang Jingwei departed Tokyo by train on June 25th and returned to China on the 26th. The medal was awarded to Japanese and Nanjing government officials who participated in visits and receptions in Japan.

2. For the last twenty years of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's life, Wang Jingwei was a close friend and associate. After he lost control of the Kuomintang to Chiang Kai-shek, he accepted and became the head of the Japanese government at Nanjing until his death in 1944. With his role in the Xinhai Revolution, he is regarded as having been an important contributor, though he is typically thought of as a traitor in the War of Resistance.