In the Nanking Massacre, Japanese soldiers stabbed Chinese prisoners of war, bound hand and foot, to death with bayonets while threatening them. For many Japanese soldiers, the Chinese military uniform of any Chinese who surrendered was a disgrace and unworthy of living. Japanese soldiers abused and massacred captured Chinese soldiers and refugees, and terrorized the citizens of Nanking.
On August 15, 1937, Japanese troops invaded Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China. The assault on Nanjing became a relentless invasion until December 13, when the Japanese troops invaded the conquered city. Japanese soldiers killed, raped, looted, and burned vast numbers of Chinese soldiers and civilians in Nanking. The Nanjing Massacre became an indelible scar on the people of Nanjing and a symbol of the war crimes of the Japanese military. The former execution site of abuse and slaughter has once again become a bustling city. Usually, the younger generation only knows the term Nanjing Massacre from textbooks. The term Nanjing Massacre is rarely mentioned. This humiliating picture of the past shows the Japanese army assassinating captured soldiers and refugees.
The Japanese military had a long tradition of honor, chivalry, and courtesy. The atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers in the Nanjing Massacre are not consistent with the traditions of the Japanese military, which flooded Japanese society with militarism until the 1930s. The overall principles and attitudes toward life of individual Japanese soldiers were heavily influenced by family life, schooling, a special social environment with myriad repressive practices, and military training. In Japan's special social environment, totalitarianism prevailed and individualism had no place. From childhood, we were militarily indoctrinated that the greatest honor was to "die and come back". As a member of the family, I was implicitly obeyed by my parents. We were indoctrinated to repress our own selfish desires and to always respect the entire family. The system of obedience and loyalty spread throughout the community and the social life of Japan as a whole. It permeated upward from the family unit through neighborhood associations, schools, factories, and other larger organizations. Finally, a spirit of self-sacrifice, blind obedience, and loyalty to the emperor himself was instilled in the Japanese people as a whole. It was suggested that the Japanese soldier be formed to be indifferent to emotions, brutal and obedient. The Nanking Massacre may be a brainwashing reinforcement for Japanese soldiers to boost their morale.
