During the first six to eight weeks of their occupation, the Japanese Army committed numerous atrocities, including rape, arson, looting, torture, and mass executions.

This estimate was made from burial records and eyewitness accounts by the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal and included in the verdict for Hisao Tani.

Approximately twenty thousand cases of rape occurred within the city during the first month of the occupation, according to the "Judgement of the International Military Tribunal".

The memorial exhibits historical records and objects, and uses architecture, sculptures, and videos to illustrate what happened during the Nanjing Massacre.

The tomb-like exhibition hall, half underground, contains more than 1000 items related to the massacre, including an immense collection of pictures, objects, charts, and photographs.

Paintings, sculptures, illuminated display cabinets, multimedia screens and documentary films serve to demonstrate to visitors the crimes committed by the Japanese military.