Today, Japan is famous for cheap consumer electronics, fuel-efficient cars, and anime. It’s easy to forget that one hundred years ago it ranked as perhaps the most militarily aggressive nation on earth. Japan’s occupation of Manchuria in 1931 is a case in point.

In fact, it’s an easy temptation to compare Japan’s occupation of Manchuria to the present Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this post, I’ll lay out what happened in Manchuria in 1931. The reader can then decide if the comparison is merited.

Japan’s Occupation of Manchuria – The Background

It should not surprise us, perhaps, that Japan became a military power in the early 20th century. It had a long tradition of rule by military dictators, the shoguns. Officially, they ruled in the name of Japan’s emperor. But in fact, they were dictators. Japan is also famous for its samurai. These were a class of professional warriors.

This system ended in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. The shoguns fell from power; the emperor became the true head of government. But at this time Japan faced a serious problem: European imperialism.

Japanese leaders became aware of what was happening in China as European nations increased their influence at the expense of China’s Qing, or Manchu, Dynasty. They did not want Japan to follow that same path. So, they tried to modernize the country. This modernization included the military.

Two wars seemed to confirm the wisdom of this policy. Japan triumphed over China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5. It was again victorious against Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5. This second victory was especially important. It was the first major defeat of an industrial European power by a non-European nation. In 1910 Japan annexed Korea as well.

Japan’s Occupation of Manchuria – The Incident

With these successes, the importance of the military waxed in Japanese society. In name, Japan had a civilian government. However, it soon proved unable to check the aggression of its own military. Japan’s Tanaka cabinet fell from power, partly because it failed to punish the murderers of Chinese warlord Zhang Zuolin in 1928. The Hamaguchi cabinet likewise fell from power when Hamaguchi was murdered in 1930.

The next event came when Japan borrowed a page from the playbook of European imperialists. Desirous of expanding its influence in China, Japanese military officers staged an incident on the South Manchurian Railway in 1931. This was the Mukden Incident.

(In the process of their colonial expansion, Europeans had done this numerous times. A colonial official would stage an incident deemed insulting to national honor. The home government would then approve force to avenge the “outrage.” Local leaders, faced with European military might, made concessions. Eventually, colonization was the result. So, while the Mukden Incident was not to Japan’s credit, historically speaking, it was following the game plan perfected by European colonial authorities.)

What happened was that Japanese army officers, probably without the approval of the Japanese government, set off explosives on the South Manchurian Railway. The damage was minimal. The train reached its destination safely. Other trains continued to use the route.

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What Did Japan Do To Manchuria?

But this incident gave Japan’s Kwantung Army the opening it needed. Blaming China for the attack, the army occupied the city of Mukden and attacked a local Chinese garrison. Within three months, most of northern Manchuria was in Japan’s possession.

Again, Japan’s home government proved powerless to stop the aggression of its own military. Another prime minister, Wakatsuki Reijiro, fell from power. His successor, Inukai Tsuyoshi, was murdered by naval officers in May of 1932. Later governments sanctioned the invasion, bowing to military and public pressure. Japan’s occupation of Manchuria followed.

Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek appealed to the League of Nations. The League declared that Japan had indeed been the aggressor. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in response.

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How Long Did Japan Occupy Manchuria?

Japan’s occupation of Manchuria continued until 1945 and its defeat in World War 2. It inflicted considerable hardships upon the Manchurian population during that era. Manchuria was valuable to Japan. It contained important quantities of raw materials necessary for Japan’s continued military expansion. In effect, Manchuria was a colony feeding Japan’s imperial expansion.

The Mukden Incident and Japan’s occupation of Manchuria are also important in the larger context. Most historians consider this event an important marker on the road to World War 2. It enhanced Japanese militarism and fed Japan’s desire for expansion.  It also injured Chiang Kai-shek’s effort to unite China during the disorderly period of warlord rule that followed the disintegration of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. In that sense, it also contributed to the emergence and eventual victory of the Chinese Communist Party in 1949.

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