- The Rape of Nanjing: The Japanese military committed mass atrocities against Chinese civilians in the city of Nanjing, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
- The fall of Shanghai: The Japanese captured the city of Shanghai, which was then the largest city in China.
- The Nanking Massacre: The Japanese military killed hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians in the city of Nanjing.
- The Marco Polo Bridge Incident: This skirmish between the Japanese and Chinese armies marked the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
- The Japanese occupation of Manchuria: The Japanese took control of Manchuria, a region in northeastern China, and established a puppet state there.
- The Chinese Nationalist government retreated to the west: The Chinese Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek was forced to retreat from Nanjing to the city of Chongqing.
- The Communists gained strength: The Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, gained strength as it fought against the Japanese occupation.
- The United States entered the war: The United States entered the Second World War after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, leading to the end of Japanese occupation in China.