By José Carlos Palma *
In 1931, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Manchuria, a region in northeastern China that was rich in natural resources such as coal and iron. The invasion was the first step in Japan’s aggressive expansionist policy, which aimed to establish a Japanese-dominated empire in East Asia. The invasion sparked a diplomatic crisis and set the stage for the larger conflict that would soon engulf the region and eventually the world.
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria, also known as the Manchurian Incident or Mukden Incident, began on September 18, 1931. Japanese troops, under the command of Lieutenant General Kanji Ishiwara, detonated explosives near a railway owned by the South Manchuria Railway Company, a Japanese-owned corporation. The explosion was blamed on Chinese saboteurs and provided Japan with a pretext for invading Manchuria.
Within a matter of days, the Japanese had occupied the major cities of Manchuria and established a puppet state known as Manchukuo. The new state was headed by Henry Pu Yi, the former emperor of China, who had been deposed in 1912. The Japanese installed a puppet government and began exploiting Manchuria’s natural resources.
The invasion of Manchuria was condemned by the League of Nations, an international organization founded in 1920 to promote peace and cooperation among nations. The League appointed a commission of inquiry, led by Lord Lytton, to investigate the situation in Manchuria. The commission found that Japan had violated China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and recommended that Japan withdraw from Manchuria.
Japan rejected the League’s findings and withdrew from the organization in 1933. The League was powerless to enforce its recommendations and the Japanese occupation of Manchuria continued. The invasion of Manchuria was a major blow to the credibility of the League and a sign that international diplomacy was failing to prevent aggression and war.
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria was part of a larger pattern of Japanese expansionism in East Asia. Japan had already annexed Korea in 1910 and was seeking to establish a sphere of influence in China. The invasion of Manchuria was seen as a step towards the creation of a Japanese-dominated empire in the region.
The invasion also had a significant impact on the Chinese government, which was weakened by the loss of Manchuria. The Chinese government was already facing internal divisions and external threats, including a communist insurgency led by Mao Zedong. The loss of Manchuria weakened the Chinese government’s legitimacy and ability to maintain control over the country.
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a prelude to the larger conflict that would soon engulf the region and eventually the world. The invasion set the stage for the Second Sino-Japanese War, which began in 1937, and the wider conflict of World War II. The Japanese occupation of Manchuria was a clear sign that the international system established after World War I was failing to prevent aggression and maintain peace.
In conclusion, the Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a significant event in the history of East Asia and the world. The invasion was a clear sign of Japan’s aggressive expansionist policy and set the stage for the larger conflicts that would follow. The invasion also highlighted the weaknesses of the international system established after World War I and the inability of diplomacy to prevent aggression and war.
Here are some key events and dates related to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria:
- September 18, 1931: Japanese troops detonate explosives near a railway in Mukden (now Shenyang), China, and blame the incident on Chinese saboteurs.
- September 19, 1931: Japanese troops invade and occupy the city of Mukden.
- September 20, 1931: The Japanese establish a puppet government in Manchuria, known as Manchukuo, and install Henry Pu Yi as its leader.
- September 25, 1931: The Japanese declare Manchuria an independent state and withdraw from the League of Nations.
- January 28, 1932: The League of Nations appoints a commission of inquiry to investigate the situation in Manchuria.
- March 2, 1933: The Lytton Report, named after the head of the commission of inquiry, is released and finds that Japan has violated China’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
- March 27, 1933: Japan rejects the findings of the Lytton Report and withdraws from the League of Nations.
- 1937-1945: The Second Sino-Japanese War takes place, with China and Japan engaged in a prolonged conflict that results in millions of deaths.
- 1941-1945: Japan enters World War II as a member of the Axis powers, fighting against the Allied powers including China, the United States, and the Soviet Union.
These events illustrate how the Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a significant factor leading up to larger conflicts in East Asia and the world.
| Japanese invasion of Manchuria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Japan
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 Republic of China |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Shigeru Honjō Jirō Tamon Hideki Tojo Senjuro Hayashi Puyi Zhang Haipeng |
 Zhang Xueliang Ma Zhanshan Feng Zhanhai Ting Chao |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 30,000–60,450 men | 160,000 men | ||||||||
* Expert in international relations, such as foreign policy, international trade, domestic security, international security, developing nations, and domestic security, intelligence, and military.