The Massacre at Nanking

Key Terms Nanking General Matsui

Lecture Outline I. The Massacre at Nanking –A. Introduction –B. The Fall of Nanking –C. The Execution of Prisoners of War –D. “Cases of Disorder” –E. Who was responsible?

Introduction Japan seized Manchuria in In 1937 Japan launched another invasion of Chinese territory. They occupied the Chinese capital, Beijing, and sent troops to attack Shanghai, China’s largest city. In 1937, Chiang Kai-Shek ordered his army to retreat to Nanking, the new Chinese capital.

The Fall of Nanking When the Japanese surrounded Nanking on December 12, they trapped tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and about 200,000 civilians in the city.

The Execution of Prisoners of War Tens of thousands of Chinese Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilian draft-age men died within a week or so.

“Cases of Disorder” Atrocities against the people of Nanking began as soon as Japanese troops entered the city. The latest research indicates that Japanese troops probably killed at least 260,000 and 350,000 POWs and civilian men, women, and children. Between 20,000 and 80,000 women were raped.

Who was responsible? The Allies had war crime trials in several Asian cities after the war. General Matsui was found guilty and was hanged on December 27, 1948.

Hakudo Nagatomi “Few know that soldiers impaled babies on bayonets and tossed them still alive in pots of boiling water. I beheaded people, starved them to death, burned them, and buried them alive, over two hundred in all. It is terrible that I could turn into an animal and do these things. There are really no words to explain what I was doing. I was truly a devil.”