The Japanese, fearful of losing their influence and control of Manchuria, began plotting. On Sept. 18, 1931, a staged explosion in Shenyang (Mukden) in southern Manchuria provided the pretext for the Kwantung Army to move against the large city and occupy it. It came to be known as the Manchurian (or Mukden) Incident. The Japanese army moved then to occupy all of Manchuria, and this was accomplished within a few months because, for some unknown reason, the Nationalist government in Nanking had directed the Manchurian leaders not to resist the Japanese. In 1932 the Japanese created the puppet state of Manchukuo. The Chinese, fearing that Japan would invade northern China, signed a treaty with the Japanese, and China' s last emperor, Puyi, was proclaimed emperor of the state of Manchukuo in 1934.
The Japanese were now free to exploit and develop Manchuria. Large investments in transportation, mining, construction, electric power, and other industries followed during the 1930s as Manchuria became the most economically advanced region of China. In fact, the region was virtually a colony of Japan. During World War II a base at Pinfang, near Harbin, was a prison camp for thousands of Russians, Koreans, and Chinese suspected of anti-Japanese activities. The base was actually a secret medical unit at which inhumane experiments were conducted; at least 3,000 prisoners died there.
Insurgent fighting continued throughout the 1930s and the World War II period. Much of ...