Essay On Nanking Massacre

Nanking Massacre When presented with the opportunity, people may find themselves committing horrible crimes if they believe they won't experience any repercussions. The Nanking Massacre proves this theory through the in-the-moment decisions of the Japanese army during their invasion of the Chinese city of Nanjing. The incident has redefined what constitutes as a war crime as an act of war that infringes on the individual rights of non-participants, as well as guided the universal methods of war towards a more humane and decent path.
The Nanking Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking or the Nanjing Massacre, was an incident spanning a six-week period in the chinese capital city of Nanjing. The numerous injustices and the beast-like acts committed during this time have led to the …show more content…
Reverend James M. McCallum described the extent that the Japanese went to in his diary stating, “Never I have heard or read such brutality. Rape! Rape! Rape! We estimate at least 1,000 cases a night and many by day. In case of resistance or anything that seems like disapproval, there is a bayonet stab or a bullet…” (McCallum). Once women were found, they were raped, often multiple times, and then viciously murdered by a bayonet through their vaginas. Pregnant women were speared open after being raped. The women that were raped and the men that were killed were only guilty of the crime of being Chinese in Nanjing. Soldiers went to great lengths to ensure maximum pain and suffering among the Chinese. The Japanese were wrongly allowed to kill and rape as they pleased which led to the hideous atrocities that occurred during the nanking massacre. At the time of this incident it was widely accepted that when a military seizes power from a foreign entity the military may take