The Rape of Nanking, sometimes referred to as the Nanking Massacre, was a six-week period of mass slaughter and systematic rape and pillage that occurred in the then-capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The Japanese Imperial Army captured Nanking, which had been declared an “Open City” by the Chinese government, on December 13th, 1937. During the following months, an estimated 200,000-300,000 Chinese civilians, soldiers, and refugees were murdered, and tens of thousands of women were raped. The atrocities committed during this period constitute one of the greatest human tragedies of modern history, and its impact is still felt today.
The Nanking Massacre had both immediate and long-term political, social, and psychological effects. Politically, it marked the beginning of unrestricted warfare between the Japanese military and the Chinese people, which would continue throughout the war. On the social front, the citizens of Nanking were traumatized by the massacre and its aftermath, while those forced to flee their homes or face internment formed a major source of refugees and exiles. Psychological consequences ranged from post-traumatic stress disorder to feelings of guilt and shame, both within the city and beyond.
In the short term, the Nanking Massacre resulted in an influx of international criticism of Japan’s actions in China. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who had already expressed his concern about the situation in East Asia in a speech before the League of Nations, called the events in Nanking “a typical instance of Japanese brutality,” and pressure from the League would eventually force Japan to withdraw its troops from the surrounding area. In China, the massacre became a rallying cry for Chinese nationalists and motivated them to fight for the country even more tenaciously. Although Chinese forces could not reclaim the city until 1945, they managed to drive the Japanese out of the Yangtze River Valley in 1938, which proved to be a major turning point in the war.
In the long term, the massacre has been seared into the collective memory of the Chinese people. It remains an important symbol of resistance and national identity and has often been used to inspire patriotism in times of crisis. The complete disregard for human life and suffering shown by the Japanese military has also created lasting negative sentiment towards Japan in the hearts and minds of many Chinese people.
The atrocities of the Nanking Massacre have also influenced the way in which war crimes are dealt with internationally. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, held in Tokyo from 1946-1948, tried numerous Japanese officials for war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Nanking Massacre in particular. Under the tribunal’s judgment, five Japanese generals were found guilty of multiple war crimes, including “wanton destruction of cities, towns and/or villages, not justified by military necessity.” This was an important step in establishing legal norms and mechanisms for punishing war crimes and it paved the way for further developments in international criminal law.
The Rape of Nanking has left an indelible mark on history. Over eighty years after the event, its legacy continues to be felt in the people of China and around the world, both in terms of global awareness of war crimes and in the struggle to find meaning and reconciliation in the tragedies of the past.