China: Imperial Japanese soldiers of the Chiba Corps crossing the Nanking (Nanjing) moat close to Zhonghua Gate, 13 December, 1937

The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, is a mass murder and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing (Nanking), the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. During this period, hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed soldiers were murdered and 20,000Ð80,000 women were raped by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)