After capturing Shanghai on November 12th, 1937, Japanese army attacked Nanking (Nanjing), Chinese capital at that time, on the morning of December 13, For six weeks, the occupying troops engaged in an orgy of slaughter by the most brutal means.

Massacres took place in many spots, i.e. the river bank near Xiaguan, Caoxiexia, Meitangang, Shangxinhe, Yanziji and out of the gate of Hanzhong. There were also random killing incidents. In order to exterminate the traces of massacre, Japanese disposed of the corps in the river. They also burned or buried a large number of them. It is estimated that over 300,000 civilians and disarmed Chinese soldiers were murdered. Japanese brutality against the people of Nanjing was outrageous. Many were beheaded, thrust, shot, buried alive or burned in the killing spree. Numerous living souls were annihilated, turning the peaceful metropolitan of Nanjing into a living hell. Nanking Massacre has gone down in the annals of history as a horrific incident and a stain on modern civilization.

Following Japan's surrender on August 15th, 1945, war crimes trials held by Chinese Military Tribunal (set up in December 1946) and Tokyo Military Tribunal all investigated and made judgments about Nanking Massacre. The court came to the conclusion that there had been 28 cases of collective slaughter and 858 cases of scattered slaughter. Tokyo Military Tribunal brought 28 Class-A war criminals to trial, including the notorious Hiranuma. Hence, the international community regarded the Nanking Massacre as an undeniable crime by Japanese invaders against Chinese.