Episode 28: The Rape of Nanking, Controversy and Coverups

As the name itself implies, The Rape of Nanking is no light subject. It is one of many of Japan’s extended list of war crimes committed by commanders and their troops during World War II. Throughout the seven-week pillaging of what was once Nanking, an estimate of 20,000 to 80,000 Chinese women raped and forced into a life of prostitution as “comfort women”, and 50,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians were brutalized and savagely murdered. ​Despite the fact that the massacre was carried out by the Japanese, the Chinese government could partially be blamed as well, due to the Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-Shek’s inadequate handling of the event, and Communist leader Mao Zedong’s following coverup. The Rape of Nanking has been a topic of debate for historians in the past few decades as no one can seem to pinpoint the exact amount of people decimated, the extent of the acts committed by the Japanese Imperial Army, and whether it was comparable to the Holocaust. Books Battle of Shanghai: The Prequel to the Rape of Nanking References 1. Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. Basic Books, 1997. 2. “Statement by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Konoon the Result of the Study on the Issue of ‘Comfort Women.’” MOFA, www.mofa.go.jp/policy/women/fund/state9308.html. 3. Tanaka, Masaaki. What Really Happened in Nanking: The Refutation of a Common Myth. Sekai Shuppan, Inc., 2001. 4. Fingleton, Eamonn. “70 Years Later, Struggle for Nanking Massacre Justice Continues.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 26 May 2011, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/70-years-later-struggle-for-nanking-massacre-justice-continues/239478/. 5. Yamamoto, Masahiro. Nanking: Anatomy of an Atrocity. Praeger, 2000. 6. Editors, History.com. “Nanking Massacre.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre. 7. Fish, Isaac Stone. “Why Did China Downplay the Nanjing Massacre?” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 23 Feb. 2012, foreignpolicy.com/2012/02/23/why-did-china-downplay-the-nanjing-massacre/. 8. “Statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Speeches and Statements by the Prime Minister).” Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet, japan.kantei.go.jp/97_abe/statement/201508/0814statement.html. 9. Wakabayashi, Bob Tadashi. The Nanking Atrocity, 1937-38 Complicating the Picture. Berghahn Books, 2017. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pacific-atrocities-education/support