The Rape of Nanking

The author calls the Rape of Nanking a holocaust. Given that millions more died as a result of Nazi persecution than in Nanking, is the author justified in using this term? Why or why not?

Do you agree with the author’s theory that the massacre could have been avoided had Chiang Kai-shek acted differently in his capacity as China’s military leader? What strategic errors did Chiang arguably commit before and during the Battle of Nanking?

How did Japanese and Chinese military cultures differ at the start of World War II? How did this divide manifest during the Battle of Nanking and the early stages of the massacre?

During the massacre, it seemed as if the Japanese soldiers were completely out of control. Yet the author emphasizes that genocides like the Rape of Nanking are impossible without the authoritarian power vested in Japan’s leadership over its soldiers. How was the soldiers’ seemingly chaotic conduct the product of rigid power structures and hierarchies in Imperial Japan?

What do you make of John Rabe? He was a Nazi, and yet he helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Nanking. Given what happened to Rabe after the massacre, how do you reconcile his self-identification as a Nazi with the enormity of his humanitarian efforts? Can they be reconciled

Describe the author’s attitude toward Matsui Iwane. Do you agree with the implication that the massacre could have been stopped or abated had Matsui remained in command? And given Matsui’s willingness to serve as a scapegoat for the Imperial family, do you believe his remorse over the Rape of Nanking was genuine?

How did the onset of the Cold War lead to the erasure of Japanese war crimes from the historical record? What roles did the United States, China, and Japan itself play in perpetuating this erasure

Explain the differences between how postwar Germany reckoned with Nazi atrocities and how Japan processed its war crimes. Given the recent reemergence of Nazism in Germany, does that country serve as a strong model for Japan?