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        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
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        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
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        • Three Stages of Interrogations
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      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
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        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
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        • Operation U-Go
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        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
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The Establishment of Manchukuo: Beginning of the Japanese Conquest of China

5/9/2022

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by Austin Chen
Picture
On September 18th, 1931, Japan blew up a part of its own railroad built by the South Manchuria Railway, claimed that the Chinese installed the bomb, and outrageously attacked Manchuria. Shortly after this Invasion of Manchuria, Japan established a puppet state—Manchukuo—and invited the already deposed emperor—Puyi—as the leader of this new state. Though Japan was the actual controller of Manchukuo, Puyi was still the nominal emperor. Therefore, it is a firm question why Japan did not abolish Puyi and annex Manchuria into Japan's territory? Especially since the Empire of Japan had already annexed Korea, which indicated that annexation of Manchuria was possibly applicable. ​
Before answering this question, let's start by knowing the importance of Manchuria since Japan coveted Manchuria, including Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning, for a long period. In 1895, after Japan's first victory in the Sino-Japanese War, Japan asked China to cede the Liaodong peninsula, the southeastern part of Liaoning Province, under the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Later, the Japanese cooperated with Zhang Zuolin, a powerful warlord, to better control the northeastern part of China ("Second Sino-Japanese War"). Japan's relentless effort in pursuing Manchuria was due to its strategic location. Manchuria shares borderlines with Russia in the north and with Japan's protectorate Korea in the southeast so that Manchukuo can be a buffer region between Russia and Japan. Therefore, Japan felt obligated to seize Manchuria because the presence of Russia, a European power, in Manchuria would substantially threaten Japan's protectorate of Korea and further threaten Japan itself (Gates 26). Moreover, Manchuria's abundant natural resources, especially iron and coal, of which Japan was severely in need of development industry, also attracted Japan (Mutter 8).
Because of its location and natural resources, Manchuria was the go-to place for Japan. However, Japan was not successful because occidental powers monitored and even interfered with Japan's movement in China (Mutter 4). This is the first reason Japan established a puppet state rather than annexed it. As we mentioned in the last paragraph, Manchukuo was close to both Russia and Japan, and both powers coveted it. They even fought for Manchuria: according to Hirosi Saito's account, "Japan had fight two desperate wars on Manchurian soil in 1894 and 1904 to ward off [Russia's] aggression and to secure her [Manchuria] own separate existence (Saito 161). "Russia was not the only one who competed with Japan: Germany forcefully landed in and leased Jiaozhou Bay, a port within Shandong, in 1897. Moreover, though western powers, along with Japan, collaboratively invaded China, they tried to maintain a sensitive equilibrium with one another, such that not any one country gained disproportionately larger benefits than the other country. For example, Great Britain expanded its Hong Kong colony in 1898, shortly after observing German, French, and Russia expand their colonies. Due to this sensitive equilibrium, Japan couldn't abolish Manchukuo and annex it into the Empire of Japan, as the Western power would not allow Japan to enjoy the benefits from China alone.
Though the Invasion of Manchuria on September 18th, 1931, and the establishment of Manchukuo had already revealed Japan's ambition, Japan still wanted to use "independent" and "liberal" Manchukuo to conceal their greediness. Meiji Restoration enabled Japan to transform into an industrial country, yet it was ignored and even excluded by occidental countries as it is an Asian country instead of a European country (Mutter 4). Therefore, Japan had the mentality to build a "Greater Asia," and naturally, Japan's position was to "bring peace and security" to Manchuria (Gates 24). Japan learned from Great Britain's colonization model with minor revisions. Great Britain's colonization goal was to bring civilization, prosperity, and freedom to natives (Hase 2008). Therefore, Japan also utilized similar words to justify its full support of the establishment of Manchukuo. According to Hirosi Saito's speech, from the Japanese view, they gained nothing but contributed everything. Their contributions included but were not limited to Manchuria's peace, development of transportation system, education system, and industrial system (Saito 162). All these Japanese contributions would not be valid if Japan annexed Manchuria because the fact that Japan was not helping Manchukuo but merely tried to annex it would expose publicly, such that Japan's depiction of "independent" and "liberal" Manchukuo would be criticized heavily by other countries.
Finally, another explanation of why Japan established Manchukuo, which prevails in Chinese history textbooks, pointed out that the establishment of Manchukuo broke Chinese land apart and, therefore, served as a good start for Japan to invade China further. This explanation is also sensible because when tracing the Japanese Army's further campaigns, we can notice that they were not satisfied with what they had already gained. Japan tried to go southward beyond the Great Wall. In 1935, Japan forced the National Party to retreat further south. Three more provinces—Suiyuan, Shansi, and Shantung—were controlled by Japan. Yet, the Nationalist Army, which was the official party of China, did not fight against the Japanese Army as Nationalist Party noticed its own military weakness compared with Japan and cared more about inner conflict with Communist Party. Its way of dealing with the Japanese invasion was to use space to trade for time. Two years later, in 1937, Japan committed a heinous crime in Nanking and moved further southward. Finally, Japan surrendered in 1945 and stopped its persecution of China. Therefore, many historians believe that the Invasion of Manchuria and the establishment of Manchukuo were the beginning of Japan's systematic invasion of China.




Reference:
"1899: Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism." The Six-Day War of 1899: Hong Kong in the Age of Imperialism, by Patrick H. Hase, Hong Kong University Press, 2008, pp. 5–22. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1xwbjg.6. Accessed June 24th, 2021.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Second Sino-Japanese War." Encyclopedia Britannica, November 10th, 2020, https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War. Accessed June 24th, 2021.
Gates, Rustin. "Solving the 'Manchurian Problem': Uchida Yasuya and Japanese Foreign Affairs before the Second World War." Diplomacy & Statecraft, vol. 23, no. 1, Mar. 2012, pp. 23–43. DOI.org (Crossref), doi:10.1080/09592296.2012.651959.
Mutter, James. "Japanese Society and the 1931 Invasion of Manchuria." The Atlas: UBC Undergraduate Journal of World History. 2004. https://ubcatlas.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/2004-mutter.pdf
Saito, Hirosi. "A Japanese View of the Manchurian Situation." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 165, 1933, pp. 159–166. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1018175. Accessed June 24th, 2021.


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  • Home
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      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
        • Who is Prince Konoe?
        • Preparation to Tripartite Pact
        • Emperor Hirohito and Prince Konoe
        • The End of Prince Konoe
      • Competing Empires in Burma - Guide >
        • What was the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • When did the China-Burma-India Theater Happen?
        • Who Fought in the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
        • The Battle of Shanghai. Background
        • Shanghai Before War
        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
        • Battle of Shanghai 1937
        • Aftermath of Battle for Shanghai
      • Ishi Shiro - Guide >
        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
        • Pingfang District - Harbin
        • Failures and Corruption
        • Post War
      • Taiwan The Israel of the East - Guide >
        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
        • Taiwan under Kuomintang
        • New Taiwanese National Identity
      • Seeking Justice for Biological Warfare Victims of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Introduction of Wang Xuan
        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
        • The French Colonial Period
        • Anti-Colonial Resistance
        • The Rise of the Communist Movement
        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
      • Hunger for Power and Self-SufficiencyI - Guide >
        • The Influence of War Rations on Post-War Culinary Transformations
        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
        • Government-Sponsored Food Inventions in Europe during World War II
        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
      • Denial A Quick Look of History of Comfort Women and Present Days’ Complication - Guide >
        • The Comfort Women System and the Fight for Recognition
        • The Role of Activism and International Pressure
        • The Controversy over Japanese History Textbooks
        • The Sonyŏsang Statue and the Symbolism of Public Memorials
        • Activism and Support from Japanese Citizens
        • The Future of Comfort Women Memorials and Education
      • Echoes of Empire: The Power of Japanese Propaganda - Guide >
        • Brief Overview of Imperial Japan
        • Defining Propaganda
        • Propaganda Encouraging Action​
        • The Rise of Nationalism
        • The Formation of Japanese State Propaganda
        • Youth and Education
      • Shadows of the Rising Sun: The Black Dragon Society and the Dawn of Pan-Asianism - Guide >
        • Origins of the Black Dragon Society
        • The Influence of Pan-Asianism
        • Relationship with Sun Yat-sen
        • The Role in Southeast Asia
        • The Spread of Ideology and Espionage
        • Disbandment and Legacy
      • Chongqing Bombing: The Forgotten Blitz of Asia and Its Lasting Impact - Guide >
        • Introduction and Historical Background
        • The Class Divide During the Bombings
        • Resilience and Unity of Chongqing
        • Key Incidents - Great Tunnel Massacre
        • The Aftermath of the Bombings
        • Legacy and Commemoration
      • Shanghai's International Zone: A Nexus of War, Intelligence, and Survival - Guide >
        • Historical Background
        • The International Zone
        • Battles in Shanghai
        • Civilian Intelligence Efforts
        • Wartime Brutality
        • Aftermath & Legacy
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
  • History Remembered
Contribute