The Rape of Nanjing was a period of wartime atrocities committed by Japanese forces in the Chinese city of Nanjing in late 1937 and early 1938. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed, raped, and tortured. The Nanjing Rape has remained a point of contention between China and Japan since the end of World War II. Japan did not issue a formal apology for the rape of Nanjing until 1995.
The Rape of Nanjing was a period of wartime atrocities committed by Japanese forces in the Chinese city of Nanjing. In late 1937 and early 1938, hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed, raped and tortured. The city of Nanjing was sacked and many of the buildings burned. Although some of the perpetrators were later tried, the Nanjing Rape has remained a point of contention between China and Japan since the end of World War II.
background
In the fall of 1937, Japanese troops had attacked and captured the city of Shanghai, which is located slightly south of Nanjing. After the defeat, they started raping and looting as far as Nanjing which was then the capital of China. The Chinese commander, General Chiang Kai Shek, knew it would be impossible to defend Nanjing, so he removed most of his troops inland. About 100,000 troops remained to defend Nanjing, who were ordered to burn and destroy anything around the city that could help the Japanese troops. As Japanese soldiers began to approach the city, many of the residents left the city, although some, including some non-Chinese, chose to stay.
Battle and atrocities
Japanese troops besieged Nanjing on 9 December and, after Chiang Kai Shek rejected a proposed surrender by telegram, began attacking the city on 10 December. The battle was virtually over by the 13th, with the Chinese troops routed. After the city fell, Japanese troops began a six-week period of looting, raping, burning and killing an estimated 200,000 Chinese, many of whom were women and children. Gang rapes were common, as were forced incest, torture, and killing contests.
Some of the non-Chinese who had chosen to stay in Nanjing had set up the Nanjing International Safe Area Committee, which allowed them to create an area that was left largely alone. Some people have tried to rescue Chinese citizens by hiding them in the security zone, and some of these foreign observers have written about the Nanjing rape, sending news reports and even video footage, in the case of John Magee, an American missionary. Numerous photographs of Nanjing are held in national archives around the world.
trials
In tribunals held after World War II, Commander-in-Chief General Iwane Matsui was convicted of war crimes and hanged. Prince Asaka Yasuhiko, who had temporarily taken over from Matsui during the battle, was also implicated but had previously been granted immunity in a deal between American General MacArthur and Japanese Emperor Hirohito. During the trials, some Japanese officers claimed that their actions during the Nanking Rape were defensible, as they felt they were at risk from Chinese soldiers, but evidence from mass graves filled with bound women and children indicated otherwise.
Controversy
The events of the Sino-Japanese Wars have been a continuing source of friction between Japan and China, particularly since the end of World War II. Although both have officially acknowledged some culpability for war crimes committed during this time period, Japan did not issue a formal apology for the rape of Nanjing until 1995. A particular sticking point has been the visits of Japanese prime ministers to the Shrine Yasukuni, which honors many Japanese soldiers, including some war criminals. The shrine also has a plaque saying the massacre did not take place. Furthermore, some nationalists and revisionists in Japan insist that the event did not actually happen or that its brutality was greatly exaggerated. Despite this, many Japanese disagree with the government’s official position on the incident and few deny that the event occurred.
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