Rape of Nanjing

By: Justin Garcia

Japan Invades China

The massive Japanese attack on China was the real beginning of the Second World War.

The Japanese aimed to become the greatest and strongest power in East Asia, reversing centuries of Chinese domination.

Japanese capture Nanjing

Japanese troops captured the city and started on a campaign of murder, rape and looting.

Victims

Historians say that between 250,000 and 300,000 people were killed, many of them women and children.

Chinese weakness

The Chinese troops were no match for their opponents and Japan ended up in control of great swathes of Chinese territory.

Dying China

Japanese papers reported competitions among junior officers to kill the most Chinese.

Tensions after the War

Tensions are high between East Asian neighbors China and Japan. China accuses Japan of failing to repent for historical wrongs, while Japan accuses China of dwelling on the past.

Kid’s views

CHEN YAJING, 15, BEIJING- I have been learning about Japanese history for three years. I think that they should be ashamed that the history they teach is distorted.

JUNKI ISHIMURA, 13, TOKYO- We've learnt that Japan fought a war with China and colonized parts of the country. Sometimes the Japanese were a bit cruel, forcing places to adopt Japanese names and forcing people to adopt the Japanese language. But we didn't really get into the details of what actually

happened. I feel my understanding of the war is a bit thin.

Bibliography

“China in World War II.” 03/15/09 http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/china.htm.

“Scarred by history: The Rape of Nanjing” 2005. BBC. 03/17/09 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/223038.stm.

Wine T. Sherwin. Japanese Invasion of China (1937). New York: Center For New Thinking, 2007.