The Second Sino-Japanese War was the largest war in Asia in the 20th century, with roots in the First Sino-Japanese War. Japan’s imperialist rule and conflicting national policies put them at odds with China. The war began in earnest in 1937 and ended in 1945 as part of Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II. The war greatly weakened the Nationalists, leading to the Communist conquest of China in 1949.
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), which was fought between China and Japan, was the largest war in Asia in the 20th century. The tension that led to it has its roots in the First Sino-Japanese War, which occurred nearly three decades earlier. In the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan captured Taiwan and Korea, which had previously been under Chinese control. Years of conflicting national policies put these two great powers at odds: Japan’s imperialist rule has put an embittered nationalist China on the defensive, and instability in the region has contributed to the hostilities. Also known as the War of Resistance against Japan against the Chinese, and as the Japan-China War against Japan, the Second Sino-Japanese War began with several years of scattered battles and incidents that eventually led to a full-blown war that would not end until the height of World War II.
After the First Sino-Japanese War, a railway in Korea used to supply Japanese troops also passed through parts of Manchuria which was a source of some of these supplies. In 1931, some Japanese troops attacked Chinese troops in the area, using a false attack on the railway as an excuse. The fighting escalated, and before long Japan controlled much of Manchuria. Japan renamed the area Manchukuo and put in place a token Chinese government, but behind the scenes, the Japanese military maintained power. Between 1933 and 1935, China established two demilitarized zones around Manchukuo, a sign of weakening resistance.
After the Japanese seizure of Manchukuo, Japan and China engaged in occasional battles with each other, but the fighting became widespread in 1937 after some Chinese troops attacked Japanese troops near Beijing. Most historians agree that the Second Sino-Japanese War began in earnest at this time. Shortly thereafter, Japan quickly captured the most important coastal cities and Chinese troops withdrew, largely due to their supply shortages, poor training, and military corruption.
Later that year, the Japanese army captured and sacked Nanjing in one of the important victories of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese government feared that reports of thefts, rapes and murders of Chinese and Western nationals visiting Nanjing would spread because American, Dutch and British soldiers were nearby to witness an unrelated refugee evacuation. The Japanese pilots were ordered to attack, resulting in the deaths of two of the Western soldiers. This shocked foreigners, but news of what happened in Nanjing was suppressed to avoid calls for Japan to declare war.
Not long after the capture of Nanjing, the invading Japanese army slowed down due to China’s size and available manpower and its lack of infrastructure. A stalemate ensued that lasted until 1941. The occupation was very difficult for the Chinese, as conditions had already become precarious due to political instability. Many suffered from food shortages, and the Nationalist and Communist leaders were more involved in fighting each other than fighting the Japanese invasion.
In 1941, when China entered World War II, the Second Sino-Japanese War was included in the larger World War II effort. The United States and the Soviet Union helped China in the war against Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War ended in 1945 as part of Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, during which Japan returned control of Manchuria, Taiwan, and the Pescadores Islands to China. As the Second Sino-Japanese War greatly weakened the Nationalists, the Communists later conquered China in 1949.
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