日軍對天津的野蠻侵略，給天津造成了極大災(zāi)難。據(jù)不完全統(tǒng)計，侵略者幾天的狂轟濫炸，使抗日戰(zhàn)士犧牲2000多人，被炸毀的民房2545間，校舍377間，無家可歸的難民達10萬人之多，摧毀工廠企業(yè)53家，直接財產(chǎn)損失約2000多萬元。天津市政府、南開大學(xué)、南開中學(xué)等被炸毀，北洋大學(xué)的各種貴重儀器，或被燒毀，或被搶劫一空。
1937年7月30日天津淪陷后，處于日本法西斯的殖民統(tǒng)治之下。日本侵占天津的8年中，扶植漢奸傀儡政府，前后歷經(jīng)3個階段：
1937年7月至1937年12月，是偽天津市地方治安維持會。早在日軍侵占天津以前，日軍駐津司令和特務(wù)機關(guān)就拼湊了一批漢奸、反動政客，做好了建立傀儡政權(quán)的準備。淪陷的第2天，即8月1日，就炮制出偽組織“天津地方治安維持會” 。由高凌霨(曾任北洋政府代理國務(wù)總理)任委員長，王竹林(商會會長、日本大阪公司買辦)等人為委員，井上垣浚為高等顧問，另有日本顧問若干人?！熬S持會” 實際上起著地方政府的作用，它管轄的范圍，除市區(qū)外，還包括天津、靜海、青縣、滄縣、南皮、交河、東光、吳橋、武清、安次等各縣。
1937年12月至1943年11月，是偽天津特別市公署。1937年12月14日，日本在北平策劃成立了偽“中華民國臨時政府” ,王克敏任行政委員會委員長。下轄晉、冀、魯、豫4省及平、津、青島3市。隨之，偽天津地方治安維持會于12月17日宣告改組，成立偽“天津特別市公署” ,受偽“華北臨時政府”領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，原維持會長高凌霨任偽河北省省長兼天津特別市公署市長。1939年，溫世珍繼任偽市長。1943年，王緒高接續(xù)溫世珍，任偽市長。
1943年11月至1945年8月，是偽天津特別市政府。1943年11月，偽華北政務(wù)委員會將偽“天津特別市公署”改稱偽“天津特別市政府” ,一直到日本戰(zhàn)敗投降。
在上述3個不同名稱的傀儡政府，及其所屬機構(gòu)和部門中，都安插了日本“顧問”和 “輔佐官” ,由他們總攬大權(quán)，中國人任職的偽官員，都聽從他們的指揮。
此外，日本侵略軍還在天津設(shè)立了兩個凌駕在傀儡政權(quán)之上的機關(guān)。一是“日本憲兵隊” ,老百姓稱之為“紅帽衙門” 。一個是“日本警察署” ,老百姓稱之為“白帽衙門” 。

·海光寺日本駐屯軍司令部及兵營

另有一個是準政權(quán)組織“新民會” ,開展反共工作，進行奴化教育。
日本侵略者不僅殺人放火，而且對天津進行大規(guī)模的經(jīng)濟掠奪，以支持其侵略戰(zhàn)爭。在“軍管理”的名義下，日本對天津的企業(yè)強行沒收和吞并。大量霸占中國工廠，對生產(chǎn)銷售強加限制，并經(jīng)常進行各種征購。侵占天津的大、中學(xué)校作為兵營，并通令各學(xué)校，取締原教科書，改用修改課本，增添日語課，不準使用舊版中國地圖，派日本教官到中學(xué)任教。在天津周圍，大肆掠奪土地，搶掠軍糧。大量抓捕勞工，分批裝船運往日本充當(dāng)苦役。七七事變至1942年7月，天津被抓勞工5萬人； 1942年頭7個月，從天津運往日本的各地勞工70萬人。1943年，日本侵略者還在塘沽設(shè)立了 “勞工營” ,就是“人間地獄” 。先后五次在市區(qū)進行“強化治安運動” ,在街上行走都要被阻止、被搜查，甚至?xí)獾酵罋?。耀華中學(xué)校長、愛國教育家趙天麟，因抵制日本的奴化教育，進行愛國活動，竟被日本特務(wù)槍殺。據(jù)1938年1月15日 《新華日報》報道： 在最近兩個月內(nèi)，日軍在東站殺害我同胞3000余人。日本侵略者在天津郊縣，更加殘酷地實行滅絕人寰的 “三光政策” ,制造了無數(shù)起駭人聽聞的慘案。
日軍統(tǒng)治期間，天津的經(jīng)濟日益蕭條，物價上漲998倍。貿(mào)易額成倍下降，塘沽港進出船只由1938年的557萬噸，下降到1945年的26萬噸。天津人民食不飽腹，掙扎在水深火熱之中。
The invasion of Japan was a catastrophe to Tianjin.According to incomplete statistics,several days ofbombing of invaders killed 2000 anti-Japan soldiers,destroyed 2545 civilian houses,377 school rooms,made100,000 civilians homeless,and smashed 53 factories.The total direct loss was 20 million yuan. Tianjinmunicipal buildings,Nankai University and NankaiMiddle School were blown down. The expensive utensilsof Beiyang University were fired or looted.
After the fall,Tianjin was under the colonial rule ofthe Japanese fascists for eight years. It set up the puppetgovernment of three stages.
Stage one: From July to December,1937,thepuppet government was the Tianjin Local SecurityMaintenance Committee. The Japanese army and itssecret agents lured a group of politicians and traitorsto prepare for a puppet government. On August 1,they set up the Tianjin Local Security MaintenanceCommittee. Gao Lingwei,the ex-acting PM of theNorthern Government,was the Chairman. Wang Zhulin(the chairman of the commercial union and GM of NaviCompany of Japan) and others were members. Therewere also some Japanese consultants. The TianjinLocal Security Maintenance Committee was actuallythe local government presiding the downtown Tianjin,Jinghai,Qingxian,Cangxian,Nanpi,Jiaohe,Dongguang,Wuqiao,Wuqing,Anci and other counties.
Stage 2: From December,1937 to November,1943,the puppet government was the Government Office ofTianjin Special City. On December 14,1937,Japanset up the Temporary Government of the Republic ofChina,whose region covered four provinces of Jin,Ji,Lu,Yu and three cities of Beijing,Tianjin and Qingdao.Wang Kemin was the chairman of the AdministrativeCommittee. Tianjin Local Security MaintenanceCommittee was restructured to the Government Office ofTianjin Special City under the leading of the TemporaryGovernment of North China. Gao Lingwei was thegovernor of Hebei Province and the mayor of TianjinSpecial City.In 1939,Wen Shizhen was the mayor. In1943,Wang Xugao was the mayor.
The third Stage: From November,1943 to August,1945,the puppet government was the Tianjin SpecialGovernment. In November,1943,Political Committeeof North China changed the Government Office ofTianjin Special City to Tianjin Special Governmentaccording to the Statute of the Organization of PoliticalCommittee of North China. until the surrender of Japan.
In the three puppet governments,there wereJapanese consultants and assistant officers. Theycontrolled all issues. All Chinese officers followed theirdirections.
To suppress the rebellions from the Chinese peopleand control the occupied areas,the Japanese army setup two institutions above the puppet government. Onewas Japanese Gendarmerie responsible for arrestingand suppressing the anti-Japan activities and economicblockade,which was called Red-cap Yamen. Nearly allpeople caught in the Yamen were killed.
The second one was the Japanese Police Bureau,which was called White-cap Yamun,responsible forthe suppression of anti-Japan activities,residenceregistration,traffic and business administration in thearea from Tianjin to Qinhuangdao.
There was also a quasi-political organization "NewPeople Association" responsible for anti-Communismpropaganda and enslaving education. Its objective wasto "separate the people from the Communist".

·1939年被大水淹后的日本警察署，俗稱“白帽衙門”

Japanese invaders killed Chinese people,set fireeverywhere,and conducted economic plundering tosupport its invasion. In the name of military control,Japan confiscated or controlled Tianjin factories. Itrestricted their production and bought their productsat very low price. In April,1944,Japan sealed up allbicycle factories and bought their 15,000 bicycles atvery low price for military use.
The Japanese invaders attempted not only torule the Chinese people but also to perish the Chineseculture. They occupied the middle and higher schools inTianjin as barracks. They forced all schools to ban theuse of previous textbooks and the old version of Chinesemap. They sent Japanese teachers to middle schools toteach Japanese with revised textbooks.
The Japanese army looted lands and grain inTianjin. In 1937,they confiscated 50,000 mu lands of18 villages in Ninghe County,on which 4,300 peasantscaught from Korea were forced to plant rice. Duringtheir invasion,the Japanese army built 120 farms andlevied 921,700 mu of lands. To guarantee the supplyof army provisions,the Japanese army forebode theChinese people eating rice,whoever violated the rulewere killed.
To make up the shortage of labors,the Japanesearmy caught labors everywhere in China and shippedthem to Japan. From 7.7 Event to July,1942,50,000labors were caught in Tianjin. In the first seven monthsof 1942,700,000 labors were shipped from Tianjin toJapan. In 1943,the Japanese army built labor camp atTanggu. The labor camp was "hell in the world",wherelabors lived inhuman life. Everyday,there were laborswho were tortured to death. In the beginning,the corpseswere carried out by people,but later they were carriedout by trucks. In the Ten-Thousand-Corpse Tunnel atKazimen of Tanggu,hundreds of thousands of laborswere buried.
The Japanese army and its puppet governmentorganized five "strengthening security activities" inthe city. Tianjin people lived without freedom underthe trampling of the Japanese cruel oppression. Evenwalking on the street,they were forced to stop,beingarrested or killed. Zhao Tianlin,the Principal of YaohuaMiddle School and patriotic educator was killed by theJapanese secret agent because of his patriotic activitiesagainst the Japanese enslaving education. XinhuaNewspaper reported on January 15,1938 that "Japanesearmy killed our 3,000 fellowmen at East Railway Stationin the last two months".
During the reign of the Japanese army,Tianjineconomy declined. The inflation rate rose to 998 timesbut the trade volume decreased much from 5,570,000tons in 1938 to 260,000 tons in 1945. Tianjin peoplelived in an abyss of suffering without food to eat andclothes to wear. In the suburbs of Tianjin,the Japanesearmy carried out the cruel "Three Sweep-Out Policies"and made many appalling murders.