East China (Nanjing) (1937-1938)
The Nanjing Massacre, also known as the “Rape of Nanjing,” refers to the systematic assault on Chinese civilians during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). After capturing the Chinese city of Shanghai in November 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army advanced inland toward the Republic of China’s capital city of Nanjing.
Previously known as Nanking, the city was one of the country’s most important political and cultural centers. Japanese soldiers systematically hunted down and executed thousands of disarmed Chinese soldiers and male civilians suspected of being former combatants. Many Chinese soldiers discarded their uniforms and attempted to blend into civilian populations within the International Safety Zone. Japanese forces did not limit their campaign to military objectives. They also launched widespread attacks on Chinese civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
The Nanjing Massacre remains one of the most horrific war crimes of the 20th century. Japanese forces used murder, torture, rape, and arson to destroy communities, break the morale of the Chinese population, and suppress resistance to the occupation. Between 200,000 and 300,000 people were killed, and an estimated 80,000 women of all ages were raped.
In response, foreign nationals living in Nanjing leveraged their foreign status and influence to establish a neutral, demilitarized area known as the International Safety Zone. Created primarily to protect Chinese civilians, the zone sheltered hundreds of thousands of people, including non-Chinese residents, from the violence. Covering approximately 1.5 square miles, the zone contained 25 refugee camps. Among them was Ginling College, where American missionary Minnie Vautrin and her colleagues protected as many as 10,000 Chinese refugees during the occupation.
The massacre officially ended in January 1938, when Japanese authorities imposed disciplinary measures on their troops. After the war, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) in Tokyo tried several officers for crimes committed in Nanjing. Among them was General Iwane Matsui, commander of the Central China Area Army. He was convicted and executed for failing to prevent atrocities committed by the troops under his command.
In addition to the IMTFE, the Republic of China established the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal, which prosecuted and convicted Lieutenant General Hisao Tani, commander of the occupying troops in Nanjing. The legacy and contested memory of the Nanjing Massacre continue to impact the relationship between China and Japan to this day.