January 28 incident

January 28 incident
The Chinese 19th Route Army in a defensive position
Date (1932-01-28) (1932-03-03)January 28 – March 3, 1932 (1 month and 4 days) Location In and around Shanghai, China Result Ceasefire; Shanghai demilitarized
Belligerents
China	Japan
Commanders and leaders
19th Route Army: Jiang Guangnai Cai Tingkai 5th Army: Zhang Zhizhong	Commander: Yoshinori Shirakawa Chief of staff: Kanichiro Tashiro
Units involved
19th Route Army 5th Army	Shanghai Expeditionary Army  Imperial Japanese Navy
Strength
50,000	30,000 80 ships 300 aeroplanes
Casualties and losses
14,163, including 4,315 KIA	Western Estimate: 3,000 KIA[1][2] Japanese Claim: 738 killed 2257 wounded[3]
10,000–20,000 civilian deaths

The January 28 incident or Shanghai incident (January 28 – March 3, 1932) was a conflict between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. It took place in the Shanghai International Settlement which was under international control. Japanese army officers, defying higher authorities, had provoked anti-Japanese demonstrations in the International Settlement following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. The Japanese government sent militant ultranationalist Japanese Buddhist priests belonging to the Nichiren sect to Shanghai. The monks shouted anti-Chinese, pro-Japanese nationalist slogans in Shanghai, promoting Japanese rule over East Asia.^[4] In response, a Chinese mob formed killing one monk and injuring two.^[4] In response, the Japanese in Shanghai rioted and burned down a factory, killing two Chinese.^[4] Heavy fighting broke out, and China appealed with no success to the League of Nations. A truce was finally reached on May 5, calling for Japanese military withdrawal, and an end to Chinese boycotts of Japanese products. It is seen as the first example of a modern war waged in a large city between two heavily equipped armies and as a preview of what was to come during the Second World War.^[5]

Internationally, the episode intensified opposition to Japan's aggression in Asia. The episode helped undermine civilian rule in Tokyo; Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated on May 15, 1932.^[6]