Nanjing Massacre

The mass killing and widespread sexual violence committed by Japanese troops in and around Nanjing after its capture in December 1937.

Second Sino-Japanese War: A war between China and Japan that began in 1937 and became part of World War II. The massacre occurred during Japan’s invasion of China in this larger war.
Mass execution: The killing of multiple people at one time by an authority or armed group. Japanese troops killed large numbers of captured soldiers and civilians in group executions.
John Rabe: A German businessman who chaired the Nanjing Safety Zone International Committee during the city’s occupation. He helped organize the refuge that sheltered thousands of civilians.
Nanjing Safety Zone documents: Letters, reports, and diaries produced by foreign residents and relief workers in Nanjing during the occupation. These records provide contemporaneous accounts of attacks and relief work.
Tokyo Trials: The postwar prosecutions of Japanese leaders and military personnel by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. Evidence about Nanjing formed part of the tribunal’s proceedings and judgments.
Battle of Nanjing: The December 1937 battle in which Japanese forces captured Nanjing, then China’s capital. The city’s fall preceded the mass violence by Japanese troops.
Sexual violence in war: Sexual violence committed in connection with armed conflict, including rape and sexual slavery. Widespread rape formed a major dimension of the violence in Nanjing.
Minnie Vautrin: An American missionary and educator who sheltered women and children at Ginling College in Nanjing. Her diary recorded repeated efforts to protect women from Japanese soldiers.
Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall: A museum and memorial in Nanjing dedicated to victims of the massacre. It presents Chinese commemoration and documentation of the events.
Sino-Japanese relations: The political, economic, and cultural relations between China and Japan. Disputes over the massacre remain a recurring source of tension.

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