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Second Sino-Japanese War: A Captivating Guide to a Military Conflict Primarily Waged Between China and Japan and the Rape of Nanking
If you want to discover the captivating history of the Second Sino-Japanese War, then keep reading...
Two captivating manuscripts in one
Many people in the West look upon the Second Sino-Japanese War, which took place in the 1930s and 1940s, as a sort of sideshow to the larger Second World War, but there is no separating the two. Imagine the Pacific War, the theater of World War II that took place in the Pacific. If the Japanese were not busy fighting on another front, they would have had millions of more troops available to fight the Americans and the British. In all likelihood, World War II would have ended the same way, but it would have taken much longer and cost that many more lives.
To understand the conflict between these two Asian powers, we have to travel back in time quite a ways, for the story of what is known by many as the Second Sino-Japanese War is long and rooted deep in history.
Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book
Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book
Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.
Two captivating manuscripts in one
Many people in the West look upon the Second Sino-Japanese War, which took place in the 1930s and 1940s, as a sort of sideshow to the larger Second World War, but there is no separating the two. Imagine the Pacific War, the theater of World War II that took place in the Pacific. If the Japanese were not busy fighting on another front, they would have had millions of more troops available to fight the Americans and the British. In all likelihood, World War II would have ended the same way, but it would have taken much longer and cost that many more lives.
To understand the conflict between these two Asian powers, we have to travel back in time quite a ways, for the story of what is known by many as the Second Sino-Japanese War is long and rooted deep in history.
Some of the topics covered in part 1 of this book
Some of the topics covered in part 2 of this book
Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.
232 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 21, 2020
A great illustration of was has been overlook for too long
While Hitler was riding to power, Japan participated in atrocities as heinous as their German counterpart, if not more so!
While Hitler was riding to power, Japan participated in atrocities as heinous as their German counterpart, if not more so!
January 26, 2020
A very brutal and generally ignored part of history, very glad to get this quick overview to point me in the direction of more texts . This is well worth the time. Check it out.
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August 24, 2026Non-fiction, history 08/18/26-08/20/26
May 13, 2021
This is the combination of two books about the second war between the Chinese and Japanese, plus the horrifying story of the Rape of Nanking. Although the Japanese called the war in the 1930s and 1940s the "Japan-China Incident," an incredible 20 million people died -- mostly Chinese.
One of the strengths of Captivating History selections is that they tell the backstory with enough detail to make the later actions understandable.
THE SECOND SINO-JAPANESE WAR --
The roots of the wars between Japan and China are fascinating reading because there were conflicting factors in the countries that brought about these wars. This book encapsulates the issues succinctly, "Though Japan's operations in China were meant to increase its empire, power, and prestige around the world, there was another factor: resources."(p. 26) Japan was a resource-needy nation, so Japan set its sights on resource-rich Manchuria and a weak China in turmoil.
The death counts, particularly in Wuhan (October 25, 1938), were staggering. Between 600,000 and 1 million Chinese died there and the Japanese lost an estimated 250,000. Those are shocking losses. However, Dr. Ishii deserves special notice for the horrific experiments and diseases he released deliberately on prisoners.
Unnecessary surgeries, tests to gauge survivability of certain awful treatments, and testing to see how long fetuses could survive in impossible situations, were all part of the Japanese testing program. Dr. Ishii and his colleagues planned to infect the US West Coast with plague-infested fleas they had created and used in China. Fortunately, his plan collapsed before its use.
The last chapter of this section was very helpful in closing out the second Sino-Japanese War and setting the stage for the fighting between the Communist and Nationalist Chinese. This also helps to explain why the Korean War happened.
THE RAPE OF NANKING --
One of the fairly untold stories of World War II were the atrocities outlined in this second section. This particular massacre lasted six weeks. Most of the records were destroyed so that historians do not know how many people were killed. The estimates are between 40,000 and 300,000unarmed people were murdered during this time.
The military of Japan was very aggressive towards their weaker neighbor, China. The author explains the “Three Alls” Policy (kill all, burn all, loot all) and how the military indoctrinated 14-year-olds into the “Warrior Code.” It was all based on the ancient samurai noble code of conduct.
It was of the high It was of the highest nobility to die for one's emperor. Seppuku (committing suicide to atone for failure or loss) and kamikaze(pilots who killed themselves by taking as many of their enemy with them) were taught.
The Japanese expected an easy victory and when that didn’t happen in Shanghai, they were angry. The Japanese wanted to show how powerful they were, in spite of universally agreed-to rules of deportment regarding innocent civilians and soldiers who had surrendered. The author makes a point that the murders, rapes, mutilations, etc., were not because of undisciplined soldiers, but a complete disregard for international law by the officers.
As much as 1/3 of Nanking was destroyed by the looting and burning of buildings, businesses, and culture.
One of the strengths of Captivating History selections is that they tell the backstory with enough detail to make the later actions understandable.
THE SECOND SINO-JAPANESE WAR --
The roots of the wars between Japan and China are fascinating reading because there were conflicting factors in the countries that brought about these wars. This book encapsulates the issues succinctly, "Though Japan's operations in China were meant to increase its empire, power, and prestige around the world, there was another factor: resources."(p. 26) Japan was a resource-needy nation, so Japan set its sights on resource-rich Manchuria and a weak China in turmoil.
The death counts, particularly in Wuhan (October 25, 1938), were staggering. Between 600,000 and 1 million Chinese died there and the Japanese lost an estimated 250,000. Those are shocking losses. However, Dr. Ishii deserves special notice for the horrific experiments and diseases he released deliberately on prisoners.
Unnecessary surgeries, tests to gauge survivability of certain awful treatments, and testing to see how long fetuses could survive in impossible situations, were all part of the Japanese testing program. Dr. Ishii and his colleagues planned to infect the US West Coast with plague-infested fleas they had created and used in China. Fortunately, his plan collapsed before its use.
The last chapter of this section was very helpful in closing out the second Sino-Japanese War and setting the stage for the fighting between the Communist and Nationalist Chinese. This also helps to explain why the Korean War happened.
THE RAPE OF NANKING --
One of the fairly untold stories of World War II were the atrocities outlined in this second section. This particular massacre lasted six weeks. Most of the records were destroyed so that historians do not know how many people were killed. The estimates are between 40,000 and 300,000unarmed people were murdered during this time.
The military of Japan was very aggressive towards their weaker neighbor, China. The author explains the “Three Alls” Policy (kill all, burn all, loot all) and how the military indoctrinated 14-year-olds into the “Warrior Code.” It was all based on the ancient samurai noble code of conduct.
It was of the high It was of the highest nobility to die for one's emperor. Seppuku (committing suicide to atone for failure or loss) and kamikaze(pilots who killed themselves by taking as many of their enemy with them) were taught.
The Japanese expected an easy victory and when that didn’t happen in Shanghai, they were angry. The Japanese wanted to show how powerful they were, in spite of universally agreed-to rules of deportment regarding innocent civilians and soldiers who had surrendered. The author makes a point that the murders, rapes, mutilations, etc., were not because of undisciplined soldiers, but a complete disregard for international law by the officers.
As much as 1/3 of Nanking was destroyed by the looting and burning of buildings, businesses, and culture.
August 27, 2026
An interesting summary of a dark period in history, and reads quite accessibly - clear and consice but not too academic in a way that is too complicated.
May 13, 2021
The Rape of Nanking was read by me prior to the collaboration of these two in one. In my opinion, the Nanking event was horrible and the book just blew my mind. Like that one, this books addition of the war answered some of my questions that were not answered from there. So many lives were taken and if you come across on here of the other book you will see my review of the Nanking book. This read though is a great addition to read after. Like me, you will have so many questions as to why this was not or currently is not being widely discussed or maybe not everyone is different. Especially if you read it in another order or know more info than men. Now, the author has done another great job of this particular history and providing readers with more information. In final, I did enjoy this addition and look forward to the next read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews