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 a sect of 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. In response, a Chinese mob formed killing one monk and injuring two. In response, the Japanese in Shanghai rioted and burned down a factory, killing two Chinese. 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. 

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.

Naming 
In Chinese literature it is known as the January 28 incident (), while in Western sources it is often called the Shanghai War of 1932 or the Shanghai incident. In Japan it is known as the First Shanghai Incident (), alluding to the Second Shanghai Incident, which is the Japanese name for the Battle of Shanghai that occurred during the opening stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.

Background 
After the Mukden Incident, Japan had acquired control over Manchuria and would eventually establish the puppet government of Manchukuo. However, the Japanese military planned to increase Japanese influence further, especially into Shanghai, where Japan, along with the various western powers, had extraterritorial rights. On January 18, five Japanese Buddhist monks, members of an ardently nationalist sect, shouted anti-Chinese slogans, and were beaten near Shanghai's Sanyou Factory () by agitated Chinese civilians. Two were seriously injured, and one died. Over the next few hours, a Japanese group burnt down the factory, killing two Chinese in the fire.

One policeman was killed and several more hurt when they arrived to quell the disorder. This caused an upsurge of anti-Japanese and anti-imperialist protests in the city and its concessions, with Chinese residents of Shanghai marching onto the streets and calling for a boycott of Japanese-made goods.

Battle 

The situation continued to deteriorate over the next week. By January 27, the Japanese military had already concentrated some 30 ships, a number of seaplanes, and nearly 2,000 troops around the shoreline of Shanghai to put down any resistance in the event that violence broke out. The military's justification was that it had to defend its citizens and their property. In addition, Hongkew district, where most of the Japanese citizens resided, had been assigned as the Japanese Defense Sector as part of the International Defense Scheme enacted by the foreign powers in Shanghai the year prior. The Japanese issued an ultimatum to the Shanghai Municipal Council demanding public condemnation and monetary compensation by the Chinese for any Japanese property damaged in the monk incident, and demanding that the Chinese government take active steps to suppress further anti-Japanese protests in the city. During the afternoon of January 28, the Shanghai Municipal Council agreed to these demands.

Throughout this period, the Chinese 19th Route Army had been massing outside the city, causing consternation to the civil Chinese administration of Shanghai and the foreign-run concessions. The 19th Route Army was generally viewed as little more than a warlord force, posing as great a danger to Shanghai as the Japanese military. In the end, Shanghai donated a substantial bribe to the 19th Route Army, hoping that it would leave and not incite a Japanese attack.
 
However, shortly before midnight on January 28, plainclothes Chinese troops that had infiltrated the Hongkew district in the Japanese Defense Sector fired upon Japanese sailors leaving their headquarters. Three thousand Japanese sailors were mobilized in response, attacking the neighboring district of Chapei and assuming control of the "de facto" Japanese settlement in Hongkew. In what was a surprising about-face for many, the 19th Route Army, which many had expected to leave after having been paid, put up fierce resistance. Also on the 28th, the Chinese Air Force dispatched nine planes to the Hongqiao Aerodrome, and the first aerial battle between Chinese and Japanese aircraft occurred on that day, although neither side suffered losses.

Though the opening battle took place between the Hongkew and Chapei districts of extra-settlement Shanghai, the conflict eventually spread outwards towards Woosung and Kiangwan. The foreign concessions remained largely untouched by the conflict, and it was often the case that those in the Shanghai International Settlement would watch the war from the banks of Suzhou Creek. They could even visit the battle lines by virtue of their extraterritoriality. The Commercial Press and the Oriental Library were destroyed. On January 30, Chiang Kai-shek decided to temporarily relocate the capital from Nanjing to Luoyang as an emergency measure, due to the fact that Nanjing's proximity to Shanghai could make it a target.

Because Shanghai was a metropolitan city with many foreign interests invested in it, other countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and France, attempted to negotiate a ceasefire between Japan and China. Initially a ceasefire was brokered between the two nations, but it was subsequently broken, with both sides claiming the other side had reopened fire upon their troops. On February 12, American, British and French representatives brokered a half-day cease fire for humanitarian relief to civilians caught in the crossfire.

The Japanese issued another ultimatum, demanding that the Chinese Army retreat 20 km from the border of the Shanghai concessions, a demand promptly rejected. This only intensified fighting in Hongkew. The Japanese were unable to take the city by the middle of February. Subsequently, the number of Japanese troops was increased to nearly 18,000 with the arrival of the 9th Infantry Division and the IJA 24th Mixed Brigade, supported by a number of warships and airplanes.

On February 14, Chiang Kai-shek sent the 5th Army, including the 87th and 88th divisions, into Shanghai.

On February 20, Japanese bombardments were increased to force the Chinese away from their defensive positions near Miaohang, while commercial and residential districts of the city were set on fire. The Chinese defensive positions deteriorated rapidly without naval and armored support, although the number of defenders was nearly five divisions. Meanwhile the Japanese forces had a single division—the IJA 9th Division, alongside the IJA 24th Mixed brigade and the Shanghai Naval Landing Force, numbering around 18,000 troops, also backed by aerial and naval bombardments.

On February 28, after a week of fierce fighting characterized by the stubborn resistance of the troops mainly from Guangdong, the Japanese, supported by superior artillery, took the village of Kiangwan (now Jiangwanzhen), north of Shanghai.

On March 1, the advance contingent of the Japanese 11th Infantry Division landed near Liuhe behind Chinese lines. The defenders launched a desperate counterattack but were unable to dislodge the Japanese. Following their encirclement, Chinese troops abandoned Shanghai and the surrounding area, and on March 3, the Japanese Commander gave the order to stop the fighting.

Peace process 

On March 4, the League of Nations passed a resolution demanding a ceasefire, though sporadic fighting persisted. On March 6, the Chinese unilaterally agreed to stop fighting, although the Japanese rejected the ceasefire. On March 14, representatives from the League of Nations arrived at Shanghai to broker a negotiation with the Japanese. While negotiations were going on, intermittent fighting continued in both outlying areas and the city itself.

On May 5, China and Japan signed the Shanghai Ceasefire Agreement (). The agreement made Shanghai a demilitarized zone and forbade China to garrison troops in areas surrounding Shanghai, Suzhou, and Kunshan, while allowing the presence of a few Japanese units in the city. China was allowed to keep only a small police force within the city.

Aftermath 
After the ceasefire was brokered, the 19th Army was reassigned by Chiang Kai-shek to suppress the Chinese Communist insurrection in Fujian. After winning some battles against the communists, a peace agreement was negotiated. On November 22, the leadership of the 19th Route Army revolted against the Kuomintang government, and established the Fujian People's Government, independent of the Republic of China. This new government was not supported by all elements of the communists and was quickly crushed by Chiang's armies in January 1934. The leaders of the 19th Route Army escaped to Hong Kong, and the rest of the army was disbanded and reassigned to other units of the National Revolutionary Army.

Yoshinori Shirakawa, the commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army and joint leader of the Japanese forces, was severely wounded by Korean nationalist Yoon Bong-Gil during a birthday celebration for Emperor Hirohito held at Shanghai's Hongkou Park and died of his injuries on May 26.

See also 
 Events preceding World War II in Asia
 Jinan incident (May 1928)
 Huanggutun incident (Japanese assassination of the Chinese head of state Generalissimo Zhang Zuolin on 4 June 1928)
 Second Sino-Japanese War
 Japanese invasion of Manchuria
 Mukden Incident (18 September 1931)
 Defense of the Great Wall (1933)
 Marco Polo Bridge Incident (7 July 1937)
 Battle of Shanghai (1937)
 Robert McCawley Short
 Toshio Kuroiwa

References

Further reading

External links 

"On The Eastern Front", April 1932, Popular Mechanics photo collection of invasion of Manchuria and Shanghai incident
National Archives (USA) film, "On the Japanese bombing and occupation of Shanghai."

1932 in Shanghai
1932 in Japan
Shanghai 1932
Conflicts in 1932
January 1932 events
February 1932 events
March 1932 events
Military history of Shanghai
상하이 사변(上海事變, 상해 사변) 또는 제1차 상하이 사변(第一次上海事變)은 1932년 1월 28일에 상하이 국제 공동조계 주변에서 일어났던 중화민국과 일본 제국의 군사적 충돌이다. 1937년에 발발한 중일 전쟁의 전초전 성격을 지닌 충돌이었다. 1월 28일에 일어난 사건이었기 때문에 중국은 '일이팔 사건'이라고도 부르고, 구미에서는 상하이 사변이라고 한다. 일본에서는 제1차 상하이 사변이라고 한다.

배경 
만주사변으로 일본은 상하이 북동쪽의 광대한 영토를 획득하고, 괴뢰정부인 만주국을 수립했다. 그러나 일본군은 서양열강에 대한 영향력 확대를 위해, 조계지를 가지고 있는 상하이 지역에 눈독을 들였다. 그래서 대의명분을 확보하기 위해 무언가 돌파구가 필요하였다.

1월 18일에 다섯 명의 일본인 승려가 삼우실업사(三友實業社) 근처에서 성난 중국 군중들에게 구타를 당하는 사건이 발생한다. (현재는 이 범행은 일본 측에 고용된 중국인에 의한 행위이라는 것이 정설이다.) 이에 1월 20일에 상하이 거주 일본인들이 항의 데모를 벌였고, 일부 청년들이 삼우실업사 공장을 불태우고, 한 명을 살해하였다. 진압을 위해 파견된 중국 관원 2명을 일본도로 살해하고, 일본인 1명도 살해당하게 된다. 이 사건으로 상하이 시민들의 반일 감정을 자극하여, 일본 제품의 보이콧을 외치며 항의 행진을 벌이게 만든다. 사건으로 일본을 포함한 서양열강은 협의를 통해, 공동 조계 내의 경비를 분담하는 것으로 결론을 낸다.

무라이 구라마쓰 총영사는 오철승 상하이 시장을 면담하고, 손해배상과 더불어 사건에 관한 진상조사와 가해자 처벌 및 항일 단체의 해산 등을 요구했다. 이에 상하이시장 측은 즉답을 미루었지만, 최종적으로 일본의 요구를 받아들였다. 이 소식을 들은 일부 학생들이 분개하여 시청을 습격하였다.

전투 
1월 26일에는 중화민국 정부가 계엄령을 포고하고, 중국인 지구 전역에 모래자루와 가시 철망으로 바리케이트를 구축하고, 외국인에게 조계 안으로 피난을 권고한다. 2일 후, 상하이시 의회는 비상사태를 선언하고, 상하이 의용군 부대를 수비에 배치하였다. 공동 조계 방위 위원회는 여전히 사태에 위협을 느끼고, 홍커우 방위를 일본인 의용군 부대에 맡겼다.

1월 27일이 되자 일본군은 30척의 함정과 40기의 전투기를 동원하여 상하이 해안 근처에 7,000 정도의 부대를 집결시켰다.

1월 28일 오후 5시에 조계국은 마침내 계엄령을 선포하고, 서양열강의 군대가 각자의 담당 경비 구역에 도착했다. 당시의 일본의 병력은 1,000명이 넘었고, 9시 30분경 더욱 군함에서, 1,700명을 상륙하게 하여 합계 2,700명이 주둔하였다.

당시 상하이에는 중화민국 정부의 채정해를 사령관으로 하는 약 33,000명의 19로군 병력이 있었다. 사태가 악화되자 19로군은 조계의 요소에 강력한 방어진지를 구축하고, 황푸 강 유역에 포대를 설치하였다.

1월 28일 자정에 중화민국과 일본 제국 양군이 북사천로에서 충돌이 시작되었다. 이곳은 조계지 개정방위계획에 따라 일본군이 담당하기로 되어 있었는데, 중화민국 정부에는 통보도 되지 않은 상태였다. 따라서 중국의 주권지에 속했는데, 중국은 일본에 맞서 자위권을 행사한 것이다. 일본군은 개전 3일 만에 본국 증원군을 요청하여 2월 1일 해군 사령부는 2개의 육군 부대를 증파하고, 제3함대를 편성하여 해군병력을 지원하였다. 장제스의 중앙 정부에서도 3개 비행대대, 중포, 직속 2사단, 독일식 사단(87, 88사단)으로 구성된 최정예 5군, 헌병연대, 세무경찰연대를 증원하였다. 이들의 중장비는 화력이 빈약한 19로군에게 큰 도움이 되었다.

다시 중국군의 완강한 저항에 막히자, 일본은 일본 제국 육군 9사단을 주력으로 한 병력을 증파 16척의 수송선에 나누어 15, 16일 상하이 항과 오송부대에 상륙하였다.

9사단장 우에다와 19로군 군단장 채정해는 영국이 주선한 중일 양국군 대표 회담을 통해, 입장을 조율하려 하였으나, 일본의 음모에 의한 전쟁이기 때문에 양측의 간극은 좁힐 수가 없었다. 그리하여 2월 10일 다시 양군이 충돌하게 된다. 일본은 19로군의 방어를 뚫지 못해서 또 한차례 증원을 본국에 요청하게 되는데, 일본에서는 또 다시 2개의 사단이 증파된다.

3월 1일이 되자, 그간 잘 방어를 해 오던 중국군은 갑작스런 철수를 시작하였다. 그 갑작스런 철수의 배경에는 청나라 숙친왕의 딸인 금벽휘라는 여인의 농간에 놀아났다는 설이 있었다. 금벽휘는 당시 일본군 특무기관의 소좌 다나카에게 포섭되어, 일본군이 또 증파된다는 거짓 정보를 중국군 지휘관들에게 흘려 철수를 유도했다고 한다. (이 여인은 1948년 장제스에 의해 총살된다.)

결과 
19로군의 철수로 인해, 상하이는 군대의 무장해제를 당했고, 자국의 군대를 상주시키지 못하는 지역이 되었다.

홍커우 공원 폭탄투척 사건 

이러한 중국의 패전의 분위기 속에서 1932년 4월 29일 중일 양국이 정전협정을 맺기 전, 일본인 거주민들은 홍커우 공원에서 열병식을 거행하였는데, 이는 일본 천황의 천장절 경축행사와 일본군 승전 파티를 겸한 행사였다. 이 때 식민지 조선의 독립운동가인 윤봉길이 폭탄을 투척하여 상하이 일본영사와 해군 중장 등의 여러 군 인사가 죽거나 중상을 입었다. 윤봉길은 체포되어 사형되었다.

 
1932년 분쟁
1932년 중국
1932년 1월
1932년 2월
1932년 3월