# Historical Grievance

The Unresolved Ledger: Japan’s Century of Cultural Plunder and the Fight for China’s Stolen Past

Japan remains the largest holder of looted Chinese cultural heritage, with an estimated 3.6 million artifacts seized between 1894 and 1945. Despite global trends toward restitution and Japan’s own returns to South Korea, Beijing’s efforts to reclaim its historical assets from Japanese state and private collections remain stalled by legal and diplomatic hurdles.