THE RAPE OF NANKING: 1937-1938
In December,1937, Japanese troops marched into the Chinese city of Nanking and killed 300,000 people in a matter of six weeks. Nanking was a poorly protected city, and was defeated in just four days. The 90,000 people who surrendered were brutally murdered at the outskirts of Nanking. Soldiers bayoneted, decapitated, shot, and burned the Chinese captives.
Although at this point Japan had signed the Geneva Conventions, they seemed to have little regard for it, as seen by their breaches during the Rape of Nanking. This shows that by this point, the Geneva Conventions were becoming less influential, especially during major wars. This was one of the reasons why the Fourth Geneva Convention was necessary.
In December,1937, Japanese troops marched into the Chinese city of Nanking and killed 300,000 people in a matter of six weeks. Nanking was a poorly protected city, and was defeated in just four days. The 90,000 people who surrendered were brutally murdered at the outskirts of Nanking. Soldiers bayoneted, decapitated, shot, and burned the Chinese captives.
Although at this point Japan had signed the Geneva Conventions, they seemed to have little regard for it, as seen by their breaches during the Rape of Nanking. This shows that by this point, the Geneva Conventions were becoming less influential, especially during major wars. This was one of the reasons why the Fourth Geneva Convention was necessary.