Japanese Invasion of China: The Battle of Shanghai 1937 (Sino-Japanese War Documentary)

None of the soldiers yet know it, but it’s the spark that sets off 2nd Sino-Japanese

War. And with foreign powers like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union involved in the background,

the stage is also set for an even bigger struggle: World War Two in Asia.

It’s July 7, 1937, and near the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Japanese troops stationed in the

city have decided to carry out a night exercise – as an unwelcome foreign force in China, they

need to stay sharp. This time, the Japanese don’t tell the Chinese troops facing them that they’ll

be on the move – and the Chinese open fire. The clash at the Marco Polo Bridge, known in China

as the Lugouqiao Bridge, set off a powder keg that had been brewing for years. Japanese troops,

along with other foreign units, had been stationed in China since the Boxer Rebellion ended nearly 40

years before, but Japan was not just another foreign power seeking commercial advantages.

Japan had seized Manchuria in 1931, Rehe province in 1932, and had made no secret of its desire

for control over a carved-up China for decades. On July 7, following the initial exchange of fire,

a Japanese soldier was missing. He was soon found, but local commander Colonel Renya

Mutaguchi decided to follow up with artillery fire on Chinese positions.

The Japanese demanded the Chinese withdraw, but they refused. The Japanese military was

determined to impose its will, and sent reinforcements to the area in response to

what they called the “North China Incident” and later simply the “China Incident.”

Chinese nationalists were divided about how to respond. Chiang Kai-shek had

theoretically unified China in 1928, but his Nationalist Party was ideologically divided,

and regional military strongmen still dominated many provinces. The problem for the Chinese was

that their state and military were weaker than the enemy. Advisor Xu Yongchang was cautious:

“If one can stomach it, it would be best to make the utmost effort

to stomach Japan. Because if a major war breaks out, regardless of whether or not

a third country intervenes, at best both sides will lose.” (Paine 129)

Chiang was also worried. Earlier he had focused on defeating the Chinese communists

before fighting the Japanese but he and many others now saw the struggle with Japan as an

immediate and existential one. This time, unlike in 1931, if push came to shove,

China would resist and seek international support. Japanese leaders also discussed what to do.

Aggressive leaders like General Matsui Iwane urged an all-out attack on a China they felt

was a foreign puppet that must take its rightful place under Japanese influence:

“The first point is to make the [Chinese] abandon the policy of depending on European countries

and America... the second point is to make the Chinese people recognize that Japanese troops

are the real friends of China, and have been sacrificing themselves in the current incident

to rescue 400 million Chinese.” Mitter 122 War Minister Sugiyama Hajime even told

Emperor Hirohito the whole thing will be over in one month, and

moderates like General Ishiwara were overruled. The Japanese government did send negotiators

off to the capital Nanjing - but the Japanese military arrested them before they arrived,

since the army and navy were not entirely within the civilian government’s control. Tokyo sent

a threatening message to Chiang, saying that if they attacked, his government would be the target.