Second Sino-Japanese War1937–1945 conflict in East AsiaBelligerentsChinaKuomintangCommunist Party of ChinaSoviet Volunteer GroupAmerican Volunteer GroupUnited StatesChina Burma India theaterJapanManchukuoWang Jingwei regimeMengjiangNorth China Political CouncilCommanders and leadersKMT:Chiang Kai-shekHe YingqinChen ChengBai ChongxiCheng QianXu YongchangCPC:Mao ZedongZhu DeYe TingChen YiS.E.A.C.:Lord MountbattenJoseph StilwellSun Li-jenLiao YaoxiangImperial General HQ:HirohitoKan'in KotohitoHajime SugiyamaHideki TojoYoshijirō UmezuNorth China Area Army:Hisaichi TerauchiHayao TadaCentral China Area Army:Iwane MatsuiOtozō Yamada:Shunroku HataToshizō NishioYasuji OkamuraUnits involvedSee combatantsStrength 16 million+ totalNationalists1.7 million (1937)2.6 million (1939)5.7 million (1945)Communists640,000 (1937)166,700 (1938)488,744 (1940)1.2 million (1945) 4.1 million totalJapan600,000 (1937)1,015,000 (1939)1,124,900 (1945) (excluding Manchuria and Burma campaign)Puppet states900,000–1,006,086 (1945)Casualties and lossesOfficial Nationalist data1,319,958 killed1,761,335 wounded130,116 missing3,211,409 total casualtiesWestern Estimate2,000,000+ killedCommunist data160,603–161,067 killed285,669–290,467 wounded87,208 missing45,989 POWs446,736 to 584,267 total casualtiesTotal3.85 million casualties1 million+ captured266,800–1,000,000 POWs deadJapanese medical data455,700–700,000 military dead900,000 wounded22,293+ captured1.5~ million total casualtiesPuppet state forces288,140–574,560 dead742,000 woundedMiddle estimate: 960,000 dead and woundedTotal2.4–3.0 million casualties 12,000,000+ civilian deaths14,000,000–22,000,000 total deaths 35,000,000 total Chinese casualties (Chinese claim)^From December 1941.^Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek was the Supreme Allied Commander in the China Theater, meaning U.S. forces technically fell under his overall command.
Kenji DoiharaKenji Doihara (土肥原 賢二, Doihara Kenji; 8 August 1883 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese general and intelligence officer. He was instrumental in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of Manchukuo. Born in Okayama Prefecture, Doihara became an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and was involved in intelligence and political operations on the Chinese continent.
Imperial Japanese ArmyThe Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan's rapid modernization during the Meiji period, fought in numerous conflicts including the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and World War II, and became a dominant force in Japanese politics.
Imperial Japanese Army AcademyThe Imperial Japanese Army Academy (陸軍士官学校, Rikugun Shikan Gakkō) was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course for officer candidates.
China Expeditionary ArmyThe China Expeditionary Army (Shina hakengun) was a general army of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1939 to 1945. The China Expeditionary Army was established in September 1939 from the merger of the Central China Expeditionary Army and Japanese Northern China Area Army, and was headquartered in the pro-Japanese Reorganized National Government's capital city of Nanjing.
Tanggu TruceThe Tanggu Truce, sometimes called the Tangku Truce (Japanese: 塘沽協定, Hepburn: Tōko kyōtei; traditional Chinese: 塘沽協定; simplified Chinese: 塘沽协定; pinyin: Tánggū Xiédìng), was a ceasefire that was signed between military forces of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan in Tanggu, Tianjin, on May 31, 1933. It ended the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which had begun in September 1931.
China Burma India theaterChina Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officially the responsibility of the Supreme Commanders for South East Asia or China.
Second lieutenantSecond lieutenant is a junior commissioned officermilitary rank in many armed forces. The lowest officer rank, it is usually placed below lieutenant or first lieutenant. AustraliaThe rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1986. In the colonial forces, which closely followed the practices of the British military, the rank of second lieutenant began to replace ranks such as ensign and cornet from 1871.
TokyoCapital and most populous city in JapanCapital city and metropolis in Kantō, JapanTokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital and most populous city of Japan. The population of the city proper was over 14 million as of 2023. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring prefectures, is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 33 million residents as of 2025.
Seishirō ItagakiJapanese officer, war criminal 1885-1948 Seishirō Itagaki板垣 征四郎Itagaki in 1938Minister of the ArmyIn office3 June 1938 – 30 August 1939Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe Hiranuma Kiichirō Preceded byHajime SugiyamaSucceeded byShunroku Hata Personal detailsBorn(1885-01-21)21 January 1885Morioka, Iwate, JapanDied23 December 1948(1948-12-23) (aged 63)Sugamo Prison, Tokyo, JapanCause of deathExecution by hangingEducationImperial Japanese Army AcademyProfessionMilitaryMilitary serviceAllegiance Empire of JapanBranch/service Imperial Japanese ArmyYears of service1904–1945Rank GeneralCommands 5th Division Japanese Korean Army Seventh Area Army Battles/wars Russo-Japanese War World War I Chinese Civil War Invasion of Manchuria Mukden Incident Pacification of Manchukuo Second Sino-Japanese War Battle of Beiping–Tianjin Operation Chahar Battle of Taiyuan Battle of Pingxingguan Battle of Xinkou Battle of Xuzhou Battle of Taierzhuang World War II General Seishirō Itagaki (板垣 征四郎, Itagaki Seishirō; 21 January 1885 – 23 December 1948) was a Japanese military officer and politician who served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and War Minister from 1938 to 1939.
World War IIGlobal conflict from 1939 to 1945BelligerentsAlliesAxisCommanders and leadersMain Allied leaders: Joseph StalinFranklin D. RooseveltWinston ChurchillChiang Kai-shekMain Axis leaders: Adolf HitlerHirohitoBenito MussoliniCasualties and losses 60–75 million deaths (military and civilian) World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
Rikichi AndōRikichi Andō (安藤 利吉, Andō Rikichi; 3 April 1884 – 19 April 1946) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and 19th and final Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan from 30 December 1944 to October 1945.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.