Rape of Nanking

The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang chronicles the brutal destruction and murder of Nanking and it’s people. One can’t read this book without feeling anger and bias against the Japanese who perpetrated these crimes, but one must also remember who those responsible were and the context of the period. While the Japanese army and commanding officers/ military leaders stationed in Nanking and in China as a whole are wholly responsible for these crimes, it is important to make the distinction between the perpetrators and innocent Japanese civilians. Under this context, it is important to note that while the PRC has officially forgiven Japan, Japan has never officially apologized.

The horrors witnessed in Nanking are reminiscent of the Jewish/European Holocaust, and as unspoken of as the Nazi/Russian destruction of Poland and the Allied firebombings of German cities, but I never believe that it is something that Westerners “just don’t know.” While it isn’t mentioned nearly as often in history classes in the West, either are the previously mentioned atrocities. Despite this, the responsibility of learning of such events is on the individual.

I feel that the rape of Nanking is often overshadowed due to the context of where it happened and when it happened. It happened during WWII, as a part of WWII, in the “other” theatre of war, just opposite of the US-Japanese conflict. Much like the other massacres of WWII, it was forgotten during its time and still is today.

Much like the rest of WWII, China was invaded by Japan for greed, greed for resources and land. But the rape of Nanking wasn’t forced by greed, but rather by years of racial and national tensions, cultural brainwashing and an ability to dehumanize the enemy. For many years previous, Japan had a strong influence in the region, fueled by an expanding population and demand for resources. Japanese teachers taught of Japanese superiority, enemy inferiority, and drilled the greatness of Japanese culture and conquest. The Japanese military was made highly aggressive and obedient and given the drive of a murderer. Under this perfect storm of dangerous ideas, Japan invaded China. By 1937, still a few years before world war would break out, the Japanese had already taken Nanking, then the Republic of China’s capital. Under orders from Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese military retreated without conflict, while those left behind surrendered. This started the spiral into chaos that would cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and nearly 100,000 rapes of Chinese women. The Japanese systematically executed the remaining soldiers in mass executions, and then turned on the civilian population. The Japanese soldiers, under the new command of Prince Asaka, killed and did as they please with no repercussions. There are instances of the Japanese killing civilians for fun or out of boredom, almost as if it was a game or sport. There are even reports of soldiers using katanas on civilians. The irony of this is that despite the end results and actions, the Japanese at first dropped leaflets demanding the surrender of Nanking, and offered a promise that those who surrendered would be treated well. A lie or simply a change of heart, it couldn’t have been more dangerously misleading.

Chang weaves together a haunting tale of the worst of human society, while also showing glimpses of human perseverance, such as the aid given by John Rabe, a Nazi living in the city who helped to move Chinese citizens to safety. While many of the Westerners left in the city were reluctant to help, in the end their work is one of the only bright spots in this sad story. Despite the good that was done by these people, many suffered greatly. Some committed suicide, others had persistent related health problems, and even Rabe, a hero in this situation, was first attacked by the Nazi party and later arrested by the Russians and British. He ended up living in relative poverty, sustained in part by the donations of the Chinese government for what he did.

The true scale of death and destruction can never be conveyed in a book, but Chang does an excellent job. The book was engaging and thoughtful, and it is too bad that the writing of the book had such a negative effect on Iris Chang in the end.