Emperor Hirohito
HIgh ranking members of the Japanese army and military are the ones who made all major decisions and are mostly responsible for all of the actions that were preformed. Emperor Hirohito made all major military decisions including the one to invade China in 1937. Prince Asaka who was Hirohito's Uncle was the one who made the order to kill all of the innocent civilians and was the main cause for all of the crimes that were committed against Chinese men. General Yanagawa Heisuke; and Lieut. General Nakajima Kesago, were the people who allowed the beheading of two prisoners just to test a new sword. This is what set the example for many Japanese soldiers.
John Rabe
The Japanese soldiers held all of the power over the Chinese people causing people of different ethnicities to take control and try and put an end to this atrocity. A man named John Rabe took a very big part in trying to protect the Chinese. He was a German businessman who created the Nanking safety zone. This zone helped to shelter and protect about 200,000 Chinese people from slaughter during the massacre. This zone included a hospital, a college and man of the things that were needed for the people to survive. The Japanese were not allowed into or around this safety zone. Eventually the zone was broken into by Chinese, and even the Rabe refused to let them harm as many people as he could protect. He would hide the women and children in the upstairs to avoid them from being seen by the Japanese soldiers.