| Imperial Japanese Major General Hiroyuki Maehara (March 3, 1879 – May 21, 1934), Commanding Officer of the 6th Brigade, with his staff. They are wearing gun no robusutā-gata (“military lobster type”) bulletproof vests during the 1st Shanghai Incident. The 1st Shanghai Incident, also known as the January 28 incident, was sparked by anger over the Mukden Incident, which ultimately led to the occupation of Manchuria. The Imperial Japanese Army hoped to exploit tension in Shanghai as a pretext for intervention there. On January 18, 1932, 5 Japanese Nichiren monks were beaten while on a takuhatsu (“alms round” to ask for food and money); 2 were seriously injured, and 1 died. Japanese in Shanghai rioted, burning Chinese warehouses and killing 2 Chinese men in retaliation. After the war, Imperial Japanese Army Major General Ryūkichi Tanaka (July 9, 1893 – June 5, 1972), who was a Major with Kwantung Army Intelligence at the time, claimed he paid Chinese agitators to beat the Nichiren monks. Within 10 days, the Imperial Japanese Navy had mobilized dozens of ships, including an aircraft carrier, 3,000 Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) personnel and sailors, and aircraft such as seaplanes. In Shanghai, the Chinese had 31,000 soldiers of the 19th Route Army and the 5th Army, and the municipal police, but they lacked coordination and modern weapons compared to the Japanese. The Japanese demanded compensation for the monks, and the Shanghai Municipal Council agreed to pay. But that night, the 19th Route Army’s plainclothes investigators got into a shootout with Japanese sailors. Despite a substantial bribe paid by the Municipal Council to stay out of Shanghai, the 19th Route Army was encamped on the outskirts. Fighting broke out in the Hongkou and Zhabei districts and lasted for 2 weeks. Western powers, with concessions in Shanghai, negotiated a ceasefire on February 12. The Nationalists used this period to reinforce their positions while civilians evacuated. The Japanese were furious and demanded that the Nationalist Army leave Shanghai. When this ultimatum was rejected, fighting resumed after a few hours. Even though they were outnumbered 10 to 1, the Japanese made good use of combined arms. Ground forces would mark targets with smoke or colored panels, and aircraft would drop aerial bombs as low as possible to achieve the greatest accuracy and avoid civilian targets nearby. Chinese supply dumps, railheads, and rally points could all be aerial targets. The Japanese also had modernized artillery, armored cars, and tanks. On March 1, the Imperial Japanese Army 11th Infantry Division landed at Liuhe, creating a pocket around the 19th Route Army. They attempted to counterattack but were unable to break the Japanese lines. By March 3, Chinese forces abandoned the Greater Shanghai area and Japanese forces were ordered to stop fighting. Major General Hiroyuki Maehara was appointed the Commanding Officer of the 6th Brigade on August 1, 1930, coming from the 73rd Regiment. The 6th Brigade consisted of the 19th and 36th Infantry Regiments. The Brigade was subordinate to the 9th Infantry Division under the command of Lieutenant General Kenkichi Ueda (March 8, 1875 – September 11, 1962). The 9th Division failed to break the Chinese lines in their attack on February 19, and Ueda was sent home in disgrace. The Shanghai Incident shocked the Japanese. A poorly equipped, poorly led, corrupt Kuomintang army had held out against Japanese combined arms for weeks. Numerous suicides to atone for the failure of various units – large and small – revealed that the code of Bushido inculcated into both the officers and other ranks caused so many deaths that the policy had to be amended to keep the armed forces’ cohesiveness. No longer would retreat be tolerated. Instead, strategic withdrawal was used as a euphemism. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1534.jpg |
| Image Size | 2.61 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 6851 x 5021 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1932 |
| Location | |
| City | Shanghai |
| State or Province | Shanghai |
| Country | China |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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