The Japanese invasion of China during World War II lasted from the 1930's to 1945. During this period in Asia, the Japanese military was motivated by a desire for aggression, expansion and imperialism. The atrocities committed by the Japanese military in Asia finally ended with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. The victims of the Japanese military included the countries of China, Korea, and the Philippines, and other South Asian countries.

Over the years, China and other countries have allowed the Japanese war crimes to be forgotten. In fact, the only constant reminders of the Japanese war crimes were the events leading up to the atomic bomb that was dropped by the United States.  Generations, Chinese and Japanese alike, are not kept informed about the consequences of imperialist militarism.

During this time, the Japanese Ministry of Education distorted the facts of World War II in their history textbooks, the government glorified convicted Class A war criminals as national heroes, and high ranking Japanese officials publicly denied the occurrence of the Nanking Massacre, one of the most infamous atrocities committed by the Japanese armies in China.