The number

300,000 victims

On Dec 13, 1937, Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, and began about 40 days of slaughter. More than 300,000 Chinese civilians and soldiers, who had laid down their arms, were murdered, and 20,000 women were raped. This past February, China's top legislature designated Dec 13 as Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day, a day of mourning for those killed by Japanese invaders.