On July 27, AD 1939, the Japanese government announced the awarding of the “China Incident War Medal” to recognize the military personnel who had been engaged in the China front since the full-scale Sino-Japanese War in AD 1937. Then, on September 25, AD 1942, in the 17th year of the Showa era, the government issued the “China Incident Commemorative Medal Production Order” aimed at rewarding non-military personnel who made contributions in the rear areas to support the frontline battlefields.
This circular bronze medal was designed by Masami Katō. On the obverse side, at the top, there is a chrysanthemum crest surrounded by numerous cherry blossoms. The chrysanthemum crest symbolizes the highly deified Emperor of Japan before the war, while the cherry blossoms represent the sincere hearts of one hundred million Japanese civilians. On the reverse, vertically written in Japanese kanji, is the inscription “China Incident Commemorative Medal.”
The medal is connected to ribbon through a fixed ring suspension with claw, and the ribbon is approximately 3.6 cm wide. The color scheme of the ribbon follows that of the “China Incident War Medal,” and on both sides, it is symmetrically arranged with the colors “purplish blue, blue-gray, red-yellow, and red” in that order from the outer to inner side. Each color has its symbolism: purplish blue represents the navy, blue-gray represents the army aviation corps, red-yellow represents the army, and red symbolizes the blood-soaked land of China. The deep red in the center of the red symbolizes the loyalty and devotion of the military personnel.
Compared to the “China Incident War Medal” awarded to military personnel, the “China Incident Commemorative Medal” awarded to non-military personnel is extremely rare and uncommon.
In AD 1937, the Japanese military launched the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7th under the excuse of searching for missing soldier, thus becoming embroiled in the war. Following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in AD 1941, the war expanded from China to the entire Pacific region. Japan established various civilian organizations at home and in its colonies to support the military needs on the front lines, until the unconditional surrender was announced on August 15, AD 1945. On March 29, AD 1946, under the supervision of the Allied Supreme Commander in Japan, Directive No. 177 was issued by the Japanese government, officially abolishing the aforementioned medals, marking the end of their history.