Awards of
World War IIThe Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937, between the Chinese Army and Japanese occupation forces in Manchuria served as the formal pretext for Japan's declaration of war on China, with the goal of seizing all of China.
On July 27, 1939, the Medal for Participation in the China Incident was established by Imperial Decree No. 496. The medal became a commemorative award for Japanese soldiers who took part in the war with China from 1937 to 1945.
In 1944, by Imperial Decree No. 418, the award's statute was amended, according to which soldiers awarded the Medal for Participation in the Great East Asian War were no longer eligible for the medal. The award was abolished by order of the Japanese occupation government in 1946 - Resolution No. 177.
The medal itself is round, 30 mm in diameter, made of bronze, and has a figured hinged fastening to the ribbon. The award ribbon bears the traditional bar with the inscription "Medal for the Military Campaign." The obverse of the award depicts the mythical raven, "Yata-no-karasu," perched on crossed naval and army flags. Above the raven is the imperial crest – the chrysanthemum, and the background is decorated with diverging sunrays.
The reverse of the award features mountains at the top, symbolizing northern China. In the center, clouds decorated with the characters for "China Incident" symbolize central China. At the bottom, waves symbolize the yellow sea.
The award ribbon is 37 mm wide and consists of the following colors, each representing the following meanings:
3 mm blue – sea and navy
3 mm light blue – sky and air force
7.5 mm yellow-brown – soil of China and ground forces
3.5 mm dark pink – blood that sprinkled Chinese soil
2 mm bright red – Blood and loyalty.
The award was presented in a black cardboard box decorated with silver characters – the medal's name.