China became the first nation in the world to take up arms against fascist aggression. From 1931, when the Japanese staged the September 18 Incident and launched the invasion of Northeast China, until 1945, the Chinese people led a tireless resistance against Japanese militarism. This struggle lasted 14 years - the longest of any Allied struggle - and produced enormous casualties and major military results.
Chinese troops and civilian forces played a key role in containing the Japanese army. While the United States fought the war for three years and the Soviet Union for four, China bore the brunt of the war for more than a decade. In that time, almost 200 000 battlesin which more than 35 million Chinese.
On the Chinese battlefield, the Japanese army suffered more than 1.5 million in losses, accounting for more than half of all Japanese casualties in World War II. More than 2.3 million Japanese soldiers eventually laid down their arms in China.
The courageous and persistent resistance of the Chinese people forced Japan to abandon its plans for a northern attack against the Soviet Union, limited its expansion southward, and prevented an invasion of Australia or India. China thus not only defended its own existence but also made a major contribution to the Allies' overall victory over fascism.
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