Background: expansion and war

Japan’s expansion into China did not begin in 1937. In 1931, Japanese forces took control of Manchuria, a region in north-east China. Japanese leaders sought territory and access to resources, including those useful to industry and the military. In July 1937, fighting near the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beijing escalated into full-scale war between Japan and China. Japanese forces captured major cities, including Shanghai and Nanjing. Nanjing fell in December 1937. During the occupation, Japanese forces committed mass killings and other atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war. Millions of Chinese people died during the years of conflict, and many more were displaced. Chinese forces continued resisting. After Japan attacked the United States and other targets in December 1941, the war between China and Japan became part of the wider Second World War. Japan surrendered in 1945.