Event

Nanjing Massacre

1937–1938 · 20th century · Also known as Rape of Nanking, Nanking Massacre

The Nanjing Massacre was the mass killing, rape and looting carried out by Japanese troops after they captured Nanjing, then the capital of the Republic of China, in December 1937. Over about six weeks, tens of thousands and by many estimates hundreds of thousands of prisoners and civilians were killed. It remains one of the most notorious atrocities of the Second World War in Asia.

Nanjing Massacre
Image: Originally Moriyasu Murase, 村瀬守保 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Republic of ChinaMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nanjing Massacre. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nanjing-massacre
MLA
“Nanjing Massacre.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nanjing-massacre. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Nanjing Massacre.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nanjing-massacre.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nanjing Massacre’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/nanjing-massacre (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻