Tokyo Surprise

When US President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in April 1945, the reaction in Japan was nothing short of astonishing. At a time when Japanese cities were being firebombed by American … Continue Reading →

Yasukuni Visits – How the Controversy Started

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe predictably stirred up a diplomatic storm when he visited Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on December 26. China in particular was up in arms over Abe’s decision … Continue Reading →

Nice to the Children

It is well-documented that Japan’s invasion of China in the 1930s was accompanied by horrendous atrocities against the civilian population. As was the case with the Nazi rule of terror … Continue Reading →

Quest Ends After 76 Years

For years Sarah Moran had tried to find out where her uncle was buried. She knew he had been killed in Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese battle in 1937, but she … Continue Reading →

In Love and War: WW2-Themed Wedding Photos

Wedding photos are a huge business in China, and people from the middle class up are willing to pay serious amounts – sometimes thousands of dollars – for this special service. The … Continue Reading →

‘The Chinese Baby’

The photo of a Chinese baby crying after a Japanese air raid on the Shanghai South Station in late August 1937 is one of the iconic images of the Second … Continue Reading →

‘Horrors of War’

“Horrors of War” was the name of a series of bubble-gum cards issued in the United States in the late 1930s. The pictures, dealing with bloodshed in the two faraway … Continue Reading →

Past Brought Back to Life

This blog has previously introduced a small, but growing number of re-enactors that specialize in the Chinese side of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Their expanding numbers are testimony to the … Continue Reading →

Modern War by Medieval Means: The Chinese Sword

Westerners watching the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War often noticed that the Chinese troops moving into battle were carrying large swords, in addition to their more modern equipment. … Continue Reading →

Crisp Footage from Shanghai, 1937

The start of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 resulted in some of the most dramatic footage of the 1930s. The belligerent parties, and especially the Japanese, took great care to document the … Continue Reading →