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The Rape of Nanking: Japanese Atrocities

Committed During the Asia-Pacific War, 1931-1945

Robert F. Holden is a senior adjunct professor of history at Atlantic Cape Community College focusing on Holocaust and Genocide Studies and a committee member of the South Jersey Holocaust Coalition. 

In September of 1931, the Japanese Imperial Army attacked the Northeast China state of Manchuria, just across the border of Russia. This is really the official beginning of World War Two and not the invasion of Poland by the Germans on September 1st of 1939, or even the Attack on pearl harbor by the Japanese in December of 1941. Tonight's presentation will reveal the truth of this pre-meditated invasion (eventually of all of China itself) and what came afterwards. The Japanese, not happy with just this act of aggression, decided to attack China and conquer it under the false proposition of uniting Asians against Western influence, in what they called, a Co-prosperity sphere.. In the Introduction to her landmark book, The Rape of Nanking, (1997) Iris Chang states that: "The chronicle of humankind's cruelty to fellow humans is a long a sorry tale. But if it is true that even in such horror tales there are degrees of ruthlessness, then few atrocities in world history compare in intensity and scale to The Rape of Nanking." James Bradley in his book, Flags of Our Fathers, wrote: "America went to war in 1941. The Europeans had been fighting since 1939, but for millions of Asians, World War two had begun a decade before in 1931. Then to consolidate control of Manchuria, Japan attacked the rest of China in 1937. This nation "created by the Gods", initiated a co-prosperity by raining down terror on all of China. With official approval and chilly detachment, the Japanese Army bombed Chinese cities and slaughtered everyone in its way, including unarmed men, women, and children." The Japanese Army employed ruthless tactics in China. Japanese aircraft bombed defenseless citizens. Rats infected with deadly bacteria and bombs containing anthrax and other deadly diseases were systematically released amongst the populace, making Japan the only combatant to use biological warfare in World War II. (We can say with certainty that the Germans used chemical weapons with their use of both Carbon Monoxide and Zyklon-B gas against the Jews and other "undesirables" during the war.) As the Japanese army entered the capital, Nanking, in December 1937, only unarmed civilians remained. The victorious troops plastered the city with billboards featuring a smiling Japanese soldier handing a bowl of rice to an appreciative Chinese child. The poster proclaimed the peaceful intentions of "co-prosperity",. But instead, the Chinese suffered an orgy of torture and death. In just 6 weeks, the Japanese soldiers, with the encouragement of their officers killed up to 300,000+ Chinese civilians in the capital city of Nanking, believing that subduing the capital with cruelty and heartless aggression, would end the war more swiftly by showing the rest of China what they were capable of doing. The Japanese "Kill All, Burn All, Loot All" scorched earth policy in North China would eventually reduce the total Chinese population from forty-four million to twenty-five million. Co-Prosperity indeed! How much do Americans, and most of the world, actually (especially the Japanese of today) know of this horrible chapter of history? In my travels giving lectures and presentations, I have found precious little knowledge by most of just what the Japanese did during these years. In tonight's presentation, you will see books, and maps but especially you will see films which will help you to understand the horrible massacre which took place in Nanking (today, known as Nanjing), the historical capital of China in 1937. One film is a travelogue and historical review of what Mr. Holden discovered on his 18 day trip to China in August of 2006. We will watch interviews with survivors of that time period, many met by Mr. Holden on his journey studying The Rape of Nanking. Japanese Imperialism in the Asia-Pacific Theater from 1931-1945 will be discussed. Not only The Nanking Massacre, but also: The cruel and brutal use of ‘Comfort Women' by the Japanese in China, The use of Biological and Chemical Weapons / Medical Experiments used against the Chinese populace, The use of Chinese Forced Labor/ and Allied prisoners of war as forced laborers, and The Rescuers and Righteous Individuals who helped to save as many Chinese citizens as they could during this horrific chapter of history. There will be a discussion of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials and the distinct lack of full justice against the perpetrators of crimes against humanity. Finally, there be an examination of the continued Japanese Denial of these events (even into the 21st century) which includes the sterilization of Japanese school textbooks about any of these events.  

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