Title: 1931 - Japan Invades Manchuria

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About: Following the Mukden Incident Japanese troops seized control of Manchuria and expanded their imperial ambitions in China. 

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Fueled by a desire to carve out an overseas empire and the need to secure resources for its expanding industries, Japan made plans to annex the northern Chinese province of Manchuria. On September 18, 1931, an explosion destroyed a section of railway track near the city of Mukden. The Japanese, who owned the railway, blamed Chinese nationalists for the incident and used the opportunity to retaliate and invade Manchuria.

 

Within a few short months, the Japanese Army had overrun the region, having encountered scant resistance from an untrained Chinese Army. They swiftly consolidated control over the resource-rich area. The area was declared as the autonomous state of Manchukuo, although the new nation was in fact under the control of the Japanese Army.

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Although many Western nations protested the Japanese action, most members of the League of Nations opposed any form of military intervention to defend Chinese sovereignty. A League of Nations commission was dispatched to Manchuria to investigate, and despite identifying the Japanese as aggressors it urged the League to recognize Japan's right to maintain a military force in Manchuria to protect its economic interests.  The League had taken the easy way out and set a precedent for appeasing aggressive nations.

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The Japanese government wasted no time in establishing a puppet regime in Chinese territory and formally withdrew from the League of Nations. The Japanese action in Manchuria was the first of a series of expansionist military operations that would eventually lead to a confrontation with Britain and the USA in the Far East.

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Decade: 1930s

Year: 1931

Region: Asia

Country: Japan + China

Conflict: Regional War

Politics: Imperialism

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 7

Artist: Yulia Kozlova

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Group: Genesis

Number: 31/100

Price: 0.7 ETH

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