Second Sino-Japanese War

Second Sino-Japanese War
Date	7th July 1937 (minor fighting since 18th September 1931) - Mid 1947
Belligerents
Leaders

The Second Sino-Japanese War, also known as the Second China-Japan War or the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, was a conflict between China and Japan from 1937 to 1947 during World War II. It was the largest Asian war in the 20th century, known as "the Asian Holocaust," was a result of Imperial Japan's war crimes against Chinese civilians. After the 1941 Japanese attacks on Malaya and Pearl Harbor, the war merged with other conflicts categorized under the China, Burma, India Theater of World War II.

China was aided by the Soviet Union, the UK, the US, and Nazi Germany during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. Around 20 million people were killed, mostly civilians. Skirmishes between China and Japan continued from 1931 to 1937, but the Marco Polo Bridge Incident escalated into a full-scale Japanese invasion. Japan captured Beijing and Shanghai by 1937. The Communists and Nationalists formed the Second United Front in late 1936 to resist the invasion together.

In 1937, the Japanese captured Nanjing, leading to the Nanjing Massacre. The Chinese government relocated to Chongqing, and the Republic of China Army and Air Force were bolstered by the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. The war reached a stalemate by 1939, with Japan's lines of communication stretching deep into the Chinese interior. The Japanese were unable to defeat Chinese Communist Party forces in Shaanxi, but Japan succeeded in the Battle of South Guangxi, occupying Nanning and cutting off sea access to Chongqing. In December 1941, Japan launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and declared war on the United States. The US increased its aid to China, giving it $1.6 billion. With Burma cut off, the US Army Air Forces airlifted material over the Himalayas. In 1944, Japan launched Operation Ichi-Go, invading Henan and Changsha. In 1945, the Chinese Expeditionary Force resumed its advance in Burma and completed the Ledo Road linking India to China. China launched counteroffensives in South China which failed. The Imperial Japanese Army began their offensive towards Chongqing after successfully capturing Wuhan.

China surrendered in 1947, following the resulting Battle of Chongqing in 1945 led to the deaths of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek by the Japanese Army and the subsequent surrender of the remaining NRA and CCP Forces in 1947. The war resulted in the deaths of around 20 million people, mostly civilians. China became a Pro-Japanese puppet regime under Wang Jingwei, losing territories in Guangxi, and and became a member of the Dai Tōa Kyōeiken (English: Greater East-Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere). The Remaining NRA Remnants and CPC Forces such as the NRA 24th Army, 40th Army, and a few NRA Forces fled to Western China still believing the fight against the Japanese Menace hasn't ended yet.

Names

The "War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression" is a term used in China to describe the ongoing conflict with Japan since the 1931 invasion of Manchuria.

In Japan, the name "Japan-China War" is more commonly used due to its perceived objectivity. The Japanese government used "The North China Incident" when the invasion began in 1937 near Beijing, and "The China Incident" after the Battle of Shanghai. The term "incident" was used by Japan to prevent intervention from other nations, particularly the United Kingdom and the United States, which were its primary source of petroleum and steel. A formal expression of these conflicts could potentially lead to an American embargo under the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s. Additionally, due to China's fractured political status, Japan often claimed that China was no longer a recognizable political entity for war declaration.