Japanese invasion of Manchuria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the 1931 invasion. For the 1894 invasion, see Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1894).
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Part of Second Sino-Japanese War
Japanese troops entering Tsitsihar.jpg

Japanese troops marching into Mukden on September 18, 1931
Date 18 September 1931 invasion – 27 February 1932
(5 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location Manchuria, Republic of China
Result Japanese victory
Tanggu Truce

Empire of Japan Empire of Japan

Taiwan Republic of China

Commanders and leaders
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.svg Shigeru Honjō
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.svg Jirō Tamon
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.svg Hideki Tojo[1]
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army.svg Senjuro Hayashi
Manchukuo Zhang Haipeng
Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg Zhang Xueliang
Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg Maya Zhanshan
Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg Feng Zhanhai
Flag of the Republic of China Army.svg Ting Chao
30,000 – 60,450 men 160,000 men
Casualties and losses
? ?
Events leading to World War II
Pacification of Libya 1923–1932
Japanese invasion of Manchuria 1931
Franco-Soviet-Czech Pact 1935
Second Italo-Ethiopian War 1935–36
Remilitarization of the Rhineland 1936
Spanish Civil War 1936–39
Anti-Comintern Pact 1936
Second Sino-Japanese War 1937
Anschluss 1938
Munich crisis 1938
German occupation of Czechoslovakia Mar. 1939
German ultimatum to Lithuania Mar. 1939
British guarantee to Poland Mar. 1939
Invasion of Albania Apr. 1939
Pact of Steel May 1939
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact Aug. 1939

The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began on September 18, 1931, when the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan invaded Manchuria immediately following the Mukden Incident. The Japanese established a puppet state called Manchukuo, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II.

Initial annexation

The Chinese-Japanese dispute in July 1931 (the Wanpaoshan Incident) was followed by the Mukden Incident, on September 18, 1931. The same day as the Mukden Incident, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, which had decided upon a policy of localizing the incident, communicated its decision to the Kwantung Army command. However, Kwantung Army commander-in-chief General Shigeru Honjō instead ordered his forces to proceed to expand operations all along the South Manchurian Railway. Under orders from Lieutenant General Jirō Tamon, troops of the 2nd Division moved up the rail line and captured virtually every city along its 730-mile length in a matter of days, occupying Anshan, Haicheng, Kaiyuan, Tiehling, Fushun, Szeping-chieh, Changchun, Kuanchengtzu, Yingkou, Antung, and Penhsihu.

Likewise on September 19, in response to General Honjō's request, the Joseon army in Korea under General Senjuro Hayashi ordered the 20th Infantry Division to split its force, forming the 39th Mixed Brigade, which departed on that day for Manchuria without authorization from the Emperor.

Between September 20 and September 25, Japanese forces took Hsiungyueh, Changtu, Liaoyang, Tungliao, Tiaonan, Kirin, Chiaoho, Huangkutun and Hsin-min. This effectively secured control of Liaoning and Kirin provinces and the main line of rail communications to Korea.

Tokyo was shocked by the news of the Army acting without orders from the central government. The Japanese civilian government was thrown into disarray by this act of "gekokujo" insubordination, but as reports of one quick victory after another began to arrive, it felt powerless to oppose the Army, and its decision was to immediately send three more infantry divisions from Japan, beginning with the 14th Mixed Brigade of the IJA 7th Division.when? During this era, the elected government could be held hostage by the Army and Navy, since Army and Navy members were constitutionally necessary for the formation of cabinets. Without their support, the government would collapse.

Secession movements



Resistance to the Japanese invasion





Operations in southern Manchuria

Main article: Chinchow Operation





Occupation of northern Manchuria

Main article: Defense of Harbin





External impact


When the Lytton Commission issued a report on the invasion, despite its statements that China had to a certain extent provoked Japan, and China's sovereignty over Manchuria was not absolute, Japan took it as an unacceptable rebuke and withdrew from the already declining League of Nations, which also helped create international isolation.[4]

The Manchurian Crisis had a significant negative impact on the moral strength and influence of the League of Nations. As critics had predicted, the League was powerless if a strong nation decided to pursue an aggressive policy against other countries, allowing a country such as Japan to commit blatant aggression without serious consequences. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini were also aware of this, and within three years would both follow Japan's example in aggrandization against their neighbors: in the case of Italy, against Abyssinia; and Hitler, against Czechoslovakia and Poland.[5]

See also



  5. ^ Ben Walsh, GCSE Modern World History - second edition 2001, p 247


External links