The Nanjing Massacre and the Second Sino-Japanese War

This chapter begins with an overview of the history of the Nanjing Massacre and the Second Sino-Japanese War, followed by a discussion of contested elements of this history. The second part of the chapter outlines the factors that influenced the establishment of the official narrative in the wake of World War II, and the themes that emerged in the Occupation period and in the first few years after the end of the occupation. These early themes included a neglect of Asian victims, an emphasis on Japanese victimhood, and the contention that a small group of military leaders was responsible for the war. The last part of the chapter traces the trajectory of the narrative over the past sixty years, and concludes with a discussion of how the book’s argument accounts for changes and continuities in Japan’s narrative.