The Nanking Massacre, commonly known as the Rape of Nanking, was an infamous war crime committed by the Japanese military in and around the capital of China, Nanjing, after it fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on December 13, 1937. (At the time, Nanjing was known in English as Nanking). The duration of the massacre is not clearly defined, although the violence lasted well into the next six weeks, until early February 1938.
During the occupation of Nanjing, the Japanese army committed numerous atrocities, such as rape, looting, arson and the execution of prisoners of war and civilians. Although the executions began under the pretext of eliminating Chinese soldiers disguised as civilians, a large number of innocent men were intentionally identified as enemy combatants and executed—or simply killed outright—as the massacre gathered momentum. A large number of women and children were also killed, as rape and murder became more widespread.
The extent of the atrocities is debated between China and Japan, with numbers ranging from some Japanese claims of several hundred, to the Chinese claim of a non-combatant death toll of 300,000. A number of Japanese researchers consider 100,000 – 200,000 to be an approximate value. Other nations usually believe the death toll to be between 150,000 – 300,000. This number was first promulgated in January of 1938 by Harold Timperly, a journalist in China during the Japanese invasion, based on reports from contemporary eyewitnesses. Other sources, including Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking, also promote 300,000 as the death toll.
In addition to the number of victims, some Japanese critics have even disputed whether the atrocity ever happened. While the Japanese government has acknowledged the incident did occur, some Japanese nationalists have argued, partly using the Imperial Japanese Army’s claims at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, that the death toll was military in nature and that no such civilian atrocities ever occurred. This claim has been criticised by various figures, citing statements of non-Chinese at the Tribunal, other eyewitnesses and by photographic and archaeological evidence that civilian deaths did occur
On December 13th, 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army captured the then capital city of China, Nanking. Immediately upon entering the city, the troops with superior officer approval proceeded to murder nearly 400,000 of the city’s occupants and rape an estimated 80,000 woman and children.
At one point, civilians and ex-soldiers of the Chinese Army were gathered together, their hands were bound and they were collectively marched to the outskirts of the city where they were systematically, in groups, raked with machine gun fire or individually: beheaded and/or otherwise victimized by Japanese samurai sword practices; used for bayonet practice , doused with gasoline and set afire, beaten to death or buried alive. Two Japanese majors maintained an ongoing competition as to who would be the first to behead 100 victims. Both reached their goal and kept right on going!
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East stated that 20,000 (and perhaps up to 80,000) women were raped—their ages ranging from infants to the elderly (as old as 80). Rapes were often performed in public during the day, sometimes in front of spouses or family members. A large number of them were systematized in a process where soldiers would search door-to-door for young girls, with many women taken captive and gang raped. The women were then killed immediately after the rape, often by mutilation. According to some testimonies, other women were forced into military prostitution as comfort women. There are even stories of Japanese troops forcing families to commit acts of incest.Sons were forced to rape their mothers, fathers were forced to rape daughters. One pregnant woman who was gang-raped by Japanese soldiers gave birth only a few hours later; the baby was perfectly healthy. Monks who had declared a life of celibacy were forced to rape women for the amusement of the Japanese. Chinese men were forced to have sex with corpses. Any resistance would be met with summary executions. While the rape peaked immediately following the fall of the city, it continued for the duration of the Japanese occupation
No Japanese government apology has been forthcoming; indeed, to the contrary, much effort has been made to suppress its ever happening. Nothing of the matter is taught in Japan’s schools. And, public officials demanding that an apology be made to the Chinese have been assaulted and received death threats. The equivalent of a mayor of one city was shot by irate Japanese nationalists. The japan government is tottaly no guts, they are the only one should carry the war crime responce, the leader of japan government should stand out and face all the victims during world war II, pay them a sincere apologize, just as what german government do to the jew. But it seems like obviously imposibble..don’t u think so??
This is the proof…no argue!!!!!
