The Mukden Incident
In 1931, a group of Army officers plotted to blow up a train carrying a Japanese official traveling in Manchuria. Afterward, they blamed the incident on “bandits,” and used it as an excuse to launch a military invasion. Although the civilian government had not part in the affair, the spilling of Japanese blood inflamed national passions, and so the government had no choice but to support the military.
Manchukuo
In 1932, Japan established a puppet government in Manchuria, “Manchukuo.” Many Western nations protested at Japan’s actions. Members of the League of Nations met to pass judgment on fellow member nation, Japan, but the Japanese refused to bow down to the West, and walked out of the League—illustrating for all the true powerlessness of the League to stop aggression.
Marco Polo Bridge Incident and the Sino-Japanese War
Over the following years, the Japanese Army colluded with local Chinese warlords to expand its influence further south into China. In 1937, military officers once again staged an “incident” at the Lion Bridge (a.k.a. Marco Polo Bridge) in Peking (Beijing) and used it as a pretext to invade China. Once again, the civilian government had no choice but to support the Army.
Rape of Nanking
On December 29, 1937, Japanese soldiers entered the Nationalist capital of Nanking. They then began a six week rampage of murder and rape unparalleled in modern warfare. Of 500,000 inhabitants, the Japanese killed between 200,000 and 300,000 men, women, and children.
Click here for more photos of the Rape of Nanking.
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