 The Rape of Nanking has caused controversy in Japan . Los Angeles Times staff writer , <unk> Efron , reported that Chang was also criticized by both Japanese " ultranationalists " , who believe that the massacre in Nanjing never took place , and Japanese liberals , who " insist the massacre happened but allege that Chang 's flawed scholarship damages their cause " . Associate Professor David Askew of <unk> Asia Pacific University stated that Chang 's work dealt a " severe blow " to the " Great Massacre School " of thought , which advocates for the validity of the findings at the Tokyo Trials , the tribunal convened to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for crimes committed during World War II . Askew further argued that " the Great Massacre School has thus been forced into the ( unusual ) position of criticising a work that argues for a larger death toll . " 
