The world has witnessed many atrocities committed against a group of people based on ethnicity, race, nationality, or religion. Or course, the Holocaust comes to mind immediately as one of the greatest atrocities ever committed by one regime. The acts committed by groups like ISIS and Boko Haram today will long be remember as atrocities against specific groups of people. Another atrocity that stands out in terms of savagery and ruthlessness of the massacre the occurred in the city of Nanking (or Nanjing) in China in 1937 that is often referred to as the Rape of Nanking. This atrocity is known as one of the most violent massacres ever committed by a military force and is the continued source of animosity between the governments of Japan and China even today. This paper examines the events of the Rape of Nanking, how it was allowed to happen, and its impact on international relations today.
The events at Nanking were part of the Sino-Japanese War that had been ongoing since Japan invaded Chinese Manchuria in 1931, and was part of the overall Japanese campaign for dominance in the Far East. The Japanese forces enjoyed success in its campaigns in China partly due to the civil war being waged in the country between communist forces and the nationalists . The Japanese decided to expand their hold on China in 1937 with a renewed campaign. Expecting an easy victory, they encountered major resistance from Chinese forces in Shanghai which slowed their advance considerably. After a three-month battle in Shanghai, the Japanese attained victory and quickly moved to take the Chinese capital of Nanjing (BBC). The main Chinese Army left Nanjing in the hands of reserve forces that were no match for the Japanese army.
During the next six weeks after taking Nanking, the Japanese forces killed over 300,000 unarmed soldiers and civilians, including the elderly, women, and children. The killing of the Chinese became a sport for the Japanese soldiers who used them for bayonet practice, burned them alive, dropped babies in boiling water and oil, or otherwise tortured them to death . In addition to the murders and torture, 20,000 – 80,000 women and children were raped and mutilated . As all of this was going on, the city was systematically looted and burned. Often, after a business was stripped of all usable material, it was packed with civilians and set on fire . The city had around 600,000 occupants at the time of the Japanese occupation, but at the end of the six-week reign of terror, the only remaining occupants were the approximately 300,000 who were protected inside the international safe zone established by Western missionaries (Jackson). The extent of horror and destruction is nearly unimaginable without the film and photographic proof smuggled out to the Western world.
Yet, despite the photographic proof and eye-witness testimony of the victims and Western observers, Japan refuses to acknowledge that the massacre ever occurred, or that it was a bad as it was. The denial in Japan ranges from complete denial that the massacre ever occurred, to a dispute over the scope of the massacre, to a rewriting of history to whitewash the Japanese’ actions in China during that period . One outright denial was written by a Japanese Christian pastor and non-fiction writer, Reverend Arimasa Kubo. In his paper, he claims that the atrocities were committed by the retreating Chinese army, not the occupying Japanese army . He also claims that the executions of Chinese soldiers were acceptable under the circumstances. Kubo makes these claims despite photographic evidence to the contrary and eyewitness accounts from Westerners who were there. For instance, John Rabe, a German businessman who was instrumental in establishing the safe zone, wrote, “We come across corpses ever 100 to 200 yards. The bodies of civilians that I examined had bullet holed in their backs” . A few days later he wrote in his diary that not a single shop outside the safe zone has not been looted and that pillaging, rape and mayhem ruled inside and outside the safe zone. Kuto also claimed that foreign journalists were present, and if there was a massacre, surely they would have reported it. However, Western journalists did report on the massacre as soon as they were able. Archibald Steele of the Chicago Daily News published stories on December 15, 1937 and again on December 18 of that year detailing some of the atrocities . There were many other stories printed, unfortunately, the news did not gain much attention in the West as it was focused on the situation brewing in Europe (Lu). This flat denial by many in Japan has led to continuing animosity between Japan and China.
Relations between China and Japan continue to be shaky, even after all of these years, because of Japans refusal to admit to the atrocities that were committed in Nanking. Visits by the Japanese Prime Minister to the Yasikuni shrine to Japan’s war dead, which includes shrines of the soldiers convicted for war crimes at Nanking, and other attempts to downplay the massacre at Nanking, has led the heads of state from both sides not visiting the other for several years, despite closer economic ties . Many might wonder why Japan will not acknowledge and apologize for the atrocities committed at Nanking, as the Germans have apologized for the Holocaust. One reason may be simply because, “The Japanese have trouble admitting their past wrongs. They are reluctant to admit their faults and seek forgiveness” . This sense of national pride may well prevent normalized relations with China for many years to come.
The question still remains though, how could something like this happen? Some believe it was caused by the Japanese culture at the time. Children were taught to be obedient and ruthless during their school days. The soldiers were taught the surrender was not allowed. Therefore, when the Chinese soldiers surrendered, the Japanese considered them unworthy of their respect, which made it easier to kill them . The raping of captives was something ingrained in their culture for centuries, so many thought it was their duty to do so, and that it would make them stronger in battle (Adamowicz). In addition to these cultural factors, it is reported that the Japanese leadership ordered such actions in order to send a message to the Chinese . It was also believed that allowing the soldiers to commit these atrocities would prepare them for the battles to come as Japan pursued their goal of Asian domination.
As one can see from looking at the evidence of the Nanking massacre, it was a living hell for all involved. It ranks as one of the worst atrocities of modern times for its violence and ferocity. One could only hope that knowing about such events would lessen the chances of more atrocities occurring in the future. Unfortunately, we just have to watch the daily news to see that this is not so.
Works Cited
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Chen, D. "Nanking will haunt Japan until it fully admits its guilt." Tiewan Today 13 May 1994. Web.
Nanking Massacre -- Japanese Versions. n.d. cnd.org. Web. 6 May 2016. <http://www.zzwave.com/cmfweb/wiihist/njmassac/nmjapv.htm>.
Cultural Issues. n.d. BBC. Web. 6 May 2016.
Eyewitness to History.com. The Rape of Nanking, 1937. 2009. Web. 6 May 2016.
Kubo, A. The So-Called Nanking Massacre was a Fabrication. n.d. Web. 6 May 2016.
Lu, S. "The Nanjing Atrocities Reported in the U.S. Newspapers, 1937-38." Article. 2016. Web.
Rape of Nanking. Dir. S. Jackson. History Channel. Youtube, 2013. Web.
Scarred by history: The Rape of Nanjing. 11 April 2005. BBC. Web. 5 May 2016.
Zapotoczny, W. The Rape of Nanking: Reasons and Recrimination. 27 May 2008. Web. 6 May 2016.
