Iwane Matsui： Prime Culprit in Nanjing Massacre
By Bian Xiuyue
Iwane Matsui， the prime culprit in the Nanjing Massacre， was born in Nagoya on July 27， 1878. After graduating from the Japanese Military Academy in 1898， he was admitted to the Army War College.
Stopping academic pursuits and joining in Japanese-Russian War
The Japanese-Russian War broke out in 1904. Matsui stopped his studies and went to northeast China to fight the Russian army. In the Battle of Shoushanbao， a bullet pierced through his thigh， and his troops were almost destroyed completely. After the war he resumed his studies at the Army War College and graduated in 1906.
He held the post of military attaché in Guangdong and Shanghai successively. In 1919 he was appointed Commanding Officer of the 39th Regiment. In 1922 he was transferred to take charge of the secret service agency in Harbin， and promoted major general the following year. He was appointed Commanding Officer of the 35th Brigade in 1924， and transferred the next year to serve as head of the General Staff"s Second Bureau. In 1927 he was promoted lieutenant general. In August 1928 he was appointed General Officer commanding the 11th Division. From December 1931 to August 1932 he acted as Japan"s plenipotentiary attending the Disarmament Conference in Geneva. He was transferred in August 1933 to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Formosa District Army in Taiwan， and promoted in October to senior general. He retired in August 1935. He went to Guangdong and Guangxi in 1936 to hold talks with local KMT leaders including Hu Hanmin， Chen Jitang， Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi， all showing an anti-Chiang Kai-shek tendency， and then to Nanjing to come into contact with KMT leaders like Chiang， He Yingqin and Zhang Qun.
Directing operations to attack and capture Shanghai
Staying in China for 13 years， Matsui had become a "Sinologue." He had actively participated in plotting and supported the aggression against China. In 1927 then Prime Minister Giichi Tanaka held an "Oriental Meeting" in Tokyo to discuss detailed plans for aggression against China. As head of the General Staff"s Second Bureau， Matsui made a report at the meeting on China"s political situation. When serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Formosa District Army in Taiwan， he formed an "Asian Association" in 1933， creating public opinion for Japan"s later aggression.
On August 15， 1937， he came out of retirement to become Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Shanghai Expeditionary Force (SEF). The Anti-Japanese War of 1937 in Shanghai lasted nearly three months. Over 1 million troops from both sides were thrown into the battle. At Matsui"s request， the Japanese General Staff dispatched reinforcements repeatedly to Shanghai. Japan employed a total 14.5 divisions of about 280，000， more than 30 warships， 400 planes and 300 armored vehicles for the battle. By November， with over 40，000 injuries and deaths， Japanese troops captured Shanghai. On November 7 Matsui was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Central China Area Army， commanding the SEF and the 10th Army.
Chief culprit responsible for Nanjing Massacre