ABSTRACT
The January Twenty-Eighth Incident is also known as the Shanghai Incident. In early 1932, shortly after the Manchurian Incident, the Japanese decided to create a new conflict in the Lower Yangtze area, China's financial and economic center, in an attempt to divert Chinese and international attention from Manchuria. In late January, the Japanese provoked a series of disputes and fightings between the Chinese and Japanese residents in Shanghai. The Japanese consulate then issued a protest against these incidents to the Shanghai municipal government, and threatened military solutions. On January 24, the Shanghai residence of the Japanese minister to China was burned down. Japan blamed the Chinese for this attack, although it may have been the work of Japanese agents, and immediately reinforced its troops in Shanghai. On January 26, the Japanese consulate again issued an ultimatum with a number of demands to the Chinese government. The Guomindang (GMD) government in Nanjing, then in a transition of leadership, adopted a conciliatory policy toward Japan. It issued an official apology and dissolved the local anti-Japanese organizations, but the Japanese were determined to use force. On the morning of January 28, Japanese troops marched out from the Japanese concession in Shanghai and attacked the Chinese forces in the city.
