Rape of Nanjing

Setting the scene

The Nanjing Massacre, also called the Rape of Nanjing, occurred from December 1937 to January 1938 after Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then capital of China, on December 13, 1937. Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July 1937, Japan had launched full-scale war against China. After winning the Battle of Shanghai, Japanese forces advanced on Nanjing. Chinese forces defending the city were poorly led and collapsed, leaving civilians defenseless.

What happened

Over six weeks, Japanese soldiers murdered an estimated 200,000-300,000 Chinese civilians and disarmed soldiers, and raped 20,000-80,000 women and girls. The atrocities included mass executions, beheadings, bayonet practice on live prisoners, burning people alive, and systematic rape. The Japanese army held killing contests, and soldiers competed to kill the most people with swords. The International Safety Zone, established by Westerners including John Rabe, a German Nazi Party member, saved 200,000-250,000 Chinese, but could not prevent the slaughter.

Why it still matters

The Nanjing Massacre was one of the worst atrocities of World War II and remains a source of bitter tension between China and Japan, as Japanese nationalists deny or minimize the event. It was documented by Western journalists and missionaries, and evidence was presented at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, where General Iwane Matsui was executed. The massacre demonstrated Japanese militarism's brutality and the dehumanization inherent in imperial conquest. It is commemorated in China as a national trauma and serves as a reminder of wartime atrocities and the importance of historical memory.

Background

The atrocity became a symbol of wartime brutality.