January 28 incident

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28 January Incident
)

"Shanghai Incident" redirects here. For the 1937 conflict known as Second Shanghai incident, see Battle of Shanghai.
January 28 incident
China
Result Ceasefire;
Shanghai demilitarized
Belligerents  China  JapanCommanders and leaders

19th Route Army:

5th Army:

Commander:

Chief of staff:

Units involved Republic of China (1912–1949) 19th Route Army
Republic of China (1912–1949) 5th Army Empire of Japan Shanghai Expeditionary Army
 Imperial Japanese NavyStrength 50,000 30,000
80 ships
300 aeroplanesCasualties and losses 14,163, including 4,315 KIA

Western Estimate:
3,000 KIA[1][2]

Japanese Claim:
738 killed
2257 wounded[3] 10,000–20,000 civilian deaths

The January 28 incident or Shanghai incident (January 28 – March 3, 1932) was a conflict between the

ultranationalist Japanese Buddhist priests belonging to the Nichiren sect to Shanghai. The monks shouted anti-Chinese, pro-Japanese nationalist slogans in Shanghai, promoting Japanese rule over East Asia.[4] In response, a Chinese mob formed killing one monk and injuring two.[4] In response, the Japanese in Shanghai rioted and burned down a factory, killing two Chinese.[4] Heavy fighting broke out, and China appealed with no success to the League of Nations. A truce was finally reached on May 5, calling for Japanese military withdrawal, and an end to Chinese boycotts of Japanese products. It is seen as the first example of a modern war waged in a large city between two heavily equipped armies and as a preview of what was to come during the Second World War.[5]

Internationally, the episode intensified opposition to Japan's aggression in Asia. The episode helped undermine civilian rule in Tokyo; Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated on May 15, 1932.[6]

Naming

In Chinese literature it is known as the January 28 incident (simplified Chinese: 一·二八事变; traditional Chinese: 一·二八事變; pinyin: Yī Èrbā Shìbiàn), while in Western sources it is often called the Shanghai War of 1932 or the Shanghai incident. In Japan it is known as the First Shanghai Incident (Japanese: 第一次上海事変), alluding to the Second Shanghai Incident, which is the Japanese name for the Battle of Shanghai that occurred during the opening stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Background

After the

Japanese military planned to increase Japanese influence further, especially into Shanghai, where Japan, along with the various western powers, had extraterritorial rights. On January 18, five Japanese Buddhist monks, members of an ardently nationalist sect, shouted anti-Chinese slogans, and were beaten near Shanghai's Sanyou Factory (simplified Chinese: 三友实业社; traditional Chinese: 三友實業社; pinyin: Sānyǒu Shíyèshè) by agitated Chinese civilians.[4] Two were seriously injured, and one died.[4][7] Over the next few hours, a Japanese group burnt down the factory, killing two Chinese in the fire.[4][7]

One policeman was killed and several more hurt when they arrived to quell the disorder.[7] This caused an upsurge of anti-Japanese and anti-imperialist protests in the city and its concessions, with Chinese residents of Shanghai marching onto the streets and calling for a boycott of Japanese-made goods.

Battle

Main article:
Order of Battle January 28 Incident
Chinese military police in combat
Japanese troops burning residential districts

The situation continued to deteriorate over the next week. By January 27, the Japanese military had already concentrated some 30 ships, a number of seaplanes, and nearly 2,000 troops around the shoreline of Shanghai to put down any resistance in the event that violence broke out. The military's justification was that it had to defend its citizens and their property. In addition,

Shanghai Municipal Council
demanding public condemnation and monetary compensation by the Chinese for any Japanese property damaged in the monk incident, and demanding that the Chinese government take active steps to suppress further anti-Japanese protests in the city. During the afternoon of January 28, the Shanghai Municipal Council agreed to these demands.

Throughout this period, the Chinese 19th Route Army had been massing outside the city, causing consternation to the civil Chinese administration of Shanghai and the foreign-run concessions. The 19th Route Army was generally viewed as little more than a warlord force, posing as great a danger to Shanghai as the Japanese military. In the end, Shanghai donated a substantial bribe to the 19th Route Army, hoping that it would leave and not incite a Japanese attack.[8][page needed]

However, shortly before midnight on January 28, plainclothes Chinese troops that had infiltrated the Hongkou district in the Japanese Defense Sector fired upon Japanese sailors leaving their headquarters.[9] Three thousand Japanese sailors were mobilized in response, attacking the neighboring district of Zhabei and assuming control of the "de facto" Japanese settlement in Hongkou. In what was a surprising about-face for many, the 19th Route Army, which many had expected to leave after having been paid, put up fierce resistance. Also on the 28th, the Chinese Air Force dispatched nine planes to the Hongqiao Aerodrome, and the first aerial battle between Chinese and Japanese aircraft occurred on that day, although neither side suffered losses.[citation needed]

Though the opening battle took place between the Hongkou and Zhabei districts of extra-settlement Shanghai, the conflict eventually spread outwards towards

The Commercial Press and the Oriental Library were destroyed.[10] On January 30, Chiang Kai-shek decided to temporarily relocate the capital from Nanjing to Luoyang as an emergency measure, due to the fact that Nanjing's proximity to Shanghai could make it a target.[11]

Because Shanghai was a metropolitan city with many foreign interests invested in it, other countries, such as the

cease fire
for humanitarian relief to civilians caught in the crossfire.

The Japanese issued another ultimatum, demanding that the Chinese Army retreat 20 km from the border of the Shanghai concessions, a demand promptly rejected. This only intensified fighting in Hongkou. The Japanese were unable to take the city by the middle of February. Subsequently, the number of Japanese troops was increased to nearly 18,000 with the arrival of the

9th Infantry Division and the IJA 24th Mixed Brigade
, supported by a number of warships and airplanes.

Map of the fighting in Shanghai

On February 14, Chiang Kai-shek sent the

88th
divisions, into Shanghai.

On February 20, Japanese bombardments were increased to force the Chinese away from their defensive positions near Miaohang, while commercial and residential districts of the city were set on fire. The Chinese defensive positions deteriorated rapidly without naval and armored support, although the number of defenders was nearly five divisions. Meanwhile the Japanese forces had a single division—the IJA 9th Division, alongside the IJA 24th Mixed brigade and the Shanghai Naval Landing Force, numbering around 18,000 troops, also backed by aerial and naval bombardments.

On February 28, after a week of fierce fighting characterized by the stubborn resistance of the troops mainly from

Jiangwanzhen), north of Shanghai.[12]

On March 1, the advance contingent of the

Japanese 11th Infantry Division landed near Liuhe behind Chinese lines. The defenders launched a desperate counterattack but were unable to dislodge the Japanese. Following their encirclement, Chinese troops abandoned Shanghai and the surrounding area, and on March 3, the Japanese Commander gave the order to stop the fighting.[13]

Peace process

Remembrance service for fallen Chinese troops

On March 4, the League of Nations passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire, though sporadic fighting persisted. On March 6, the Chinese unilaterally agreed to stop fighting, although the Japanese rejected the ceasefire. On March 14, representatives from the League of Nations arrived at Shanghai to broker a negotiation with the Japanese. While negotiations were going on, intermittent fighting continued in both outlying areas and the city itself.[8][page needed]

On May 5, China and Japan signed the Shanghai Ceasefire Agreement (simplified Chinese: 淞沪停战协定; traditional Chinese: 淞滬停戰協定; pinyin: Sōnghù Tíngzhàn Xiédìng). The agreement made Shanghai a demilitarized zone and forbade China to garrison troops in areas surrounding Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan, while allowing the presence of a few Japanese units in the city. China was allowed to keep only a small police force within the city.

Aftermath

After the ceasefire was brokered, the 19th Army was reassigned by Chiang Kai-shek to suppress the

Chinese Communist insurrection in Fujian. After winning some battles against the Communists, a peace agreement was negotiated. On November 22, the leadership of the 19th Route Army revolted against the Kuomintang government, and established the Fujian People's Government, independent of the Republic of China. This new government was not supported by all elements of the Communists and was quickly crushed by Chiang's armies in January 1934. The leaders of the 19th Route Army escaped to Hong Kong, and the rest of the army was disbanded and reassigned to other units of the National Revolutionary Army
.

Hongkou Park
and died of his injuries on May 26.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9781447253433
    .
  2. ISBN 978-1922539205
    .
  3. ^ "Showa 6.7 Nen Jihen Kaigun Senshi". Japan Center for Asian Historical Records. Gunreibu. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "The Fall Of Shanghai: Prelude To The Rape Of Nanking & WWII". Warfare History Network. August 17, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. ISSN 0729-2473
    .
  6. ^ Jordan 2001, p. 239.
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-07-030612-5
    .
  8. ^ a b Jordan 2001.
  9. ^ "2、上海調査委員会報告（国際連盟）I、II、III、IV／LEAGUE OF NATIONS．SHANGHAI COMMITTEE． SECOND REPORT．SHANGHAI，12th．February，1932．". JACAR. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Ke Jiayun (March 3, 2015). "Bombed-out library with revolutionary past". Shanghai Daily.
  11. ^ Jordan 2001, p. 55.
  12. Canberra Times
    . February 29, 1932.
  13. ^ 日支紛争に関する国際聯盟調査委員会の報告. 国際聯盟協会. 1932. p. 145,146.

Further reading

External links

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