The Rape of Nanking

Given the enormity of the violence perpetrated by Japanese soldiers during the Nanking massacre, it is difficult to offer sufficient explanations regarding how such brutality came about. Nevertheless, the author identifies a series of currents in early 20th-century Japanese culture and society that contributed to the behavior of its soldiers.

The first was the bushido code of the samurai which dates back to the Middle Ages. In characterizing the key tenets of this warrior code, the author writes, “To die in the service of one’s lord was the greatest honor a samurai warrior could achieve in his lifetime” (19). While this explains the courage of the Japanese soldier, it does not necessarily explain his viciousness against the Chinese. That brutality comes down to the divide between Japan’s bushido-influenced army and China’s less feudal attitudes toward war. For example, when Azuma saw thousands of surrendered Chinese troops who outnumbered his own platoon, he was filled with contempt. In his memoir, he writes, “How could they become prisoners, with the kind of force they had—more than two battalions—and without even trying to show any resistance” (43). This contempt, the author writes, was a key factor in precipitating the imminent slaughter of the surrendered Chinese soldiers.