CHRONOLOGY OF THE JAPANESE INVASION OF ASIA, 1894-1945

1894-5:
  • First Sino-Japanese war -- fledging Japanese navy defeats powerful Chinese fleet off Yalu River. Fortress of Port Arthur stormed. After the war, Japan seized Taiwan and S. Manchuria.

    1910:

  • Annexation of Korea.

    1926:

  • Hirohito becomes Emperor.

    1931:

  • Sept. 18 "The Mukden Incident" -- Bomb explosion under Japanese-owned express train in Manchuria. An excuse created by Japanese secret agent for Japanese troops to occupy Manchuria.

    1932:

  • Chinese boycott of Japanese goods leads to "battle of Shanghai"; Japanese aircraft carriers in action for the first time. League of Nations condemns Japanese aggression in Manchuria.

    1933:

  • Japan withdraws from League of Nations.

    1934:

  • Pu Yi -- former emperor of China -- becomes puppet emperor of Manchukuo (Manchuria).

    1937:

  • July. "The China Incident" -- a skirmish between Japan and Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge (Lugouqiao), near Peking, sparks off a full scale invasion of China.
  • August. Japanese bombers make the first trans-oceanic raids in history -- from Taiwan and Kyushu to Nanking and Shanghai.
  • November. Imperial General Headquarters established in Tokyo (the Emperor, the Chiefs of the Army, and Naval General Staffs).
  • December The Nanking Massacre (Rape of Nanking) -- the Chinese capital sacked by Japanese troops. U.S. river gunboat Panay bombed and sunk near Nanking.

    1938

  • December Japan proclaims a "New Order in East Asia".

    1940

  • May-Sept. Chungking -- temporary capital of China -- bombed day and night by Japanese.
  • Sept. Japanese troops occupy northern Indo-China. Japan signs Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy.

    1941

  • July. Japanese troops occupy southern French Indo-China.
  • Dec. 6th. President Roosevelt addresses a personal appeal for peace to Emperor Hirohito.
  • Dec. 7th. Japan raids Pearl Harbor, invades Siam, Hong Kong, Burma, North Borneo, the Philippines and Pacific Islands. Britain and United States declare war on Japan.

    1942

  • May. Japanese midget submarines attack shipping in Diego Suarez harbor (Madagascar) and Sydney Harbor (Australia).
  • June. Battle of Midway -- Japanese Carrier Force defeated off Midway Island and the invasion abandoned.

    1944

  • April. U.S. forces land on Okinawa.
  • July. Issue of Postdam Declaration to Japan.

    1945

  • August. Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Russia declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria. Japan surrenders.
  • Sept. Surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

    ESTIMATED CHINESE ARMIES CASUALTIES*, 1937-1945

    Year......Total......Wounded......Killed......Missing


    1937......367,362......242,232......125,130

    1938......735,017......485,804......249,213

    1939......346,543......176,891......169,652

    1940......673,368......333,838......339,530

    1941......299,483......173,254......144,915......17,314

    1942......247,167......114,180......87,917......45,070

    1943......162,895......81,957......43,223......27,715

    1944......210,734......103,596......102,719......4,419

    1945......168,850......85,583......57,659......25,608


    Total......3,311,419......1,761,335......1,319,958......130,126

    * Civilian casualties are not included. Estimated total Chinese casualties during the period is 35,000,000. Source: Dept. of Defense, Republic of China. Official Report.

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