The Nanking Massacre took place in Nanking, China on December 13, 1937. It is also known as the Rape of Nanking, a battle during the Second Sino-Japanese War that lasted more than six weeks. Iwane Matsui served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and commanded the forces that captured Nanking. Matsui may not have been directly responsible for the Nanking Massacre, however, an international military court convicted Matsui of war crimes in 1948 and sentenced to death.
Matsui commanded the armies that were to capture Nanking. He had already retired from the Japanese army, but was recalled to head the attack on central China. As general, he sought to capture Nanking as an attempt to win the war with China. Masui’s troops and other Japanese troop successfully captured Shanghai as part of their mission. After the successful capture of Shanghai, Matsui and two other Japanese armies advanced to Nanking. Matsui became ill during the advance into Nanking and did not enter the city as other troops initially invaded(Chan). He had allegedly attempted to hold troops back from the initial attack, but his ailments and age prevented him from being a strong leader.
Nanking’s population at the time of the Japanese capture neared one million, including refugees and citizens. The Japanese troops that entered Nanking began fighting the Chinese soldiers. The massive attack began on December 9, 1937. The defending troops of China would not surrender. After three days of fighting, the Chinese troops went to the opposite side of the Yangtze River. Refugees attempted to cross the Yangtze River in order to escape from the hands of the Japanese army. As a result, people got trapped, due of the absence of transportation. To overcome that, many decided to swim across the river. While the Chinese swam across the Yangtze River, the Japanese took the shore on the other side and shot all who managed to make it.
The armed forces of Japan also fired at the citizens of Nanking and rode tanks through the city streets. More and more people were continuously being murdered, raped, burned, and killed. The city was fully destroyed and ruined and the streets were filled with dead bodies . The Japanese armies gained access to Guanghua Gate and entered the Pacific Gate and Zhongshan Gate. These gates were major entries into the city that had been heavily defended by Chinese soldiers. In the afternoon of the same day, Nanking was in the hands of the Japanese. The Nanking Massacre lasted nearly six weeks.
During the massacre, the Japanese committed an uncountable number of crimes such as looting, robbing. rape, murder and numerous brutal torturing methods. They executed prisoners that were held in jail. They set the entire city on fire. Altogether there were roughly 300,000 victims, and an estimate of 20,000 to 80, 000 women were sexually assaulted (Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre). The capital was turned into ruins. People were killed, burned, murdered, raped and executed. The Japanese also executed many prisoners during the Nanjing massacre.
Before the Japanese entered Nanjing a large number of the Chinese soldiers had already been captured, though a great quantity was able to break loose and change into civilian clothes (Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre). Anyone who was suspected of being a Chinese soldier was arrested by the Japanese. Among the soldiers, there were young men, who served in the army and were killed with the rest of the thousands. In some instances, the Chinese soldiers were poisoned by gas and even got gasoline poured over them and were set on fire to burn alive (Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre). Even though soldiers suffered much of the persecution, an uncountable number of atrocities perpetrated throughout the entire city with the victims being just regular citizens.
Inhumane methods such as stabbing, striking of the head, cutting open different parts of the body like the abdomen, taking out the heart alive, drowning, shooting, punching using different objects, castration was used to kill the people (Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre). During those six weeks, women were raped and killed by the Japanese soldiers. Little girls were raped as well as pregnant women and nuns. Some of these people were even forced to rape one another. The Japanese went to religious places and not only raped the people but made them rape each other. The Japanese did not only burn homes, buildings and the entire city, but they burned the people as well, both Chinese soldiers and citizens (Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre). Gasoline and any other chemicals that were flammable were used to set places on fire. A terrifying fact was setting people on fire, another brutal torture the Japanese made use of to kill the innocent Chinese civilians.
Many have blamed Matsui for the Nanking Massacre. However, a review of his attitude, his comments regarding the massacre and his attempted refrain from Nanking indicate that he did not intend the massacre that was undertaken. Prior to embarking to Nanking, Matsui issued orders entitled “Essentials for Attacking Nanking”. In Matsui’s Essential for Attacking Nanking, the taking of Nanking was to be orderly. However, the essential did not include provision on what to do with the Chinese prisoners of war.
Matsui also allegedly had a close relationship with Chinese leaders and took a special interested in the humanitarian treatment of Chinese refugees. Learning of the treatment of citizens in Nanking he stated “the truth is that some such acts are unavoidable”. Matsui “expressed that it was regrettable that the usually honorable Japanese Army had committed such acts that tainted Japan’s reputation” (Chan).
Today, there are many disagreements on the facts of the Nanking Massacre. The subject is sensitive to both Japanese and Chinese people. To this day, the Chinese remember Japan’s cruel, brutal, inhumane behavior towards the civilians.
“On the outer wall of the Nanking Massacre Memorial in China is written “300,000” as the number of the massacre victims. Many Chinese children visit there every year to be planted anti-Japanese feelings in their heart” (Kubo, Arimasa. “The So-Called Nanking Massacre Was a Fabrication”).
Matsui contributed in that he was a general in the Japanese Army and proceeded to Nanking with his troops. He has been held primarily responsible for the atrocity and accepted that when he died. Iwane Matsui was hanged in 1948 for war crimes following World War II. Matsui blamed himself for the atrocity at Nanking. However, he was not even in Nanking when the massacre destruction occurred.
The Nanking Massacre was an event that the world does not understand even today. The murders, rapes, looting and massive destruction was fueled by more than just a desire to capture a city and win a war. The activities engaged in were not part of a military order. Yet, someone had to be held responsible for the evil that occurred. That person was Iwane Matsui.
The entire world sees the Nanking Massacre in various ways. People worldwide disagree with what some call a fact. There are disputes over the number of victims and even disputes as to whether the event even occurred. The Japanese see themselves being convicted of something that did not happen and actually, to this day, honor Iwane Matsui. The Chinese are irate about the Japanese saying it was their soldiers, which committed all the brutal tortures and murders. These two countries felt disdain towards each other. What happened truly exacerbated the relations between Japan and China. It is very hard to find out what truly happened in 1937. Evidence from both sides of the story is present, which makes it even harder to come clear. It seems impossible to find the truth. We might never know what honestly happened, although most evidence shows us that the Nanjing Massacre had indeed occurred, and that Matsui was held responsible.
Works Cited
Akira, Fujiwara. "The Nanking Atrocity: An Interpretive Overview." Symposium Crisis in the Asia-Pacific 5.10 (2007).
“Basic Facts on the Nanking Massacre.” New Jersey Hong Kong Network, 1990. Web.
07 May 2016.
Chan, Peter C. “Iwane Matsui.” WW2DB RSS. Web. 07 May 2016.
Chang, Iris. Iwane Matsui. 2004. <http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=707>. Web. 10 May 2016.
“Iwane Matsui.” TRIAL: Profiles. Web. 07 May 2016.
Kubo, Arimasa. “The So-Called Nanking Massacre Was a Fabrication.” Remnant. Web.
07 May 2016.
Nanking: A Historical Background. n.d. <http://web.stanford.edu/~kcook/history.html Web. 11 May 2016.
“Nanjing Massacre.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 07
May 2016.
Rabe, John H. D. “To the Commander of the Japanese Army in Nanking.” Letter
