Manchuria Crisis Russia Sakhalin Siberia Manchuria Mongolia VLADIVOSTOK
Manchuria Crisis
Russia Sakhalin Siberia Manchuria Mongolia VLADIVOSTOK MUKDEN PEKING Korea PORT ARTHUR SEOUL Japan TOKYO NANKING China SHANGHAI Formosa (to Japan)
Russia Sakhalin Siberia Manchuria Mongolia VLADIVOSTOK The border between the empires of Russia, Japan and China had long been contended. Russia had colonised eastern. PEKING Siberia, China: Mongolia and Manchuria; Japan: Korea. While China and Russia dealt with internal revolution from 1911 and 1917 respectively, Japan began to invest heavily in the industrialisation of southern Manchuria. China Korea RYOJUN SEOUL Japan TOKYO After victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1905), Japan had laid claim to the Korean peninsula, the port of “Ryojun” and half of island of Sakhalin. After WWI, Japan had occupied the Russian port of Vladivostok and laid claim to more territory. The USA, however, pressurised the Japanese government into withdrawing from the port and insisted that the Japanese navy remain smaller than the US and British navies at a ratio of 5: 3 ships (the Washington Naval Agreements).
Summer 1931 o % 0 3 : n i a g a t falls s l e v e l f 1929 n e m y o l e emp s e n a p Ja Economists blame US tariffs, in place since disastrous Wall Street Crash. Food shortages result as US import/export trade dries up. Japanese military repeats calls on Emperor to expand operations of South Manchurian Railway Co.
September 1931 ‘MUKDEN INCIDENT ’: Japanese Railway att acked in Manchuria So. Manchurian Railway hit by bomb outside city of Mukden. Japanese military sees hand of “Kuomintang”, Chinese Nationalist government. Nanking insists its barracked at time. soldiers
February 1932 Japanese military has ignored wishes of civilian government and seized Manchuria in previous months. Tokyo insists take-over will restore order to lawless region, and new ‘Manchukuo’ state will ‘liberate’ Manchu people from anarchy. Former Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi, made leader of state. Japanese forces attack China Japanese forces also attack Chinese port of Shanghai after ‘anti-Japanese’ incidents. Nanking claims ‘sabotage’ and appeals to League of Nations.
September 1932 Lord Lytton’s report to League accuses Japan of unlawful aggression in Manchuria. r o s s e r gg a = Report calls for n a p withdrawal of Japanese : T Ja R forces and return O P E of Kuomintang R N Vote on report to be O control. T T Y held in League of L Nations Assembly.
December 1937 “gre ater east - Asi a co -pro Japanese military finishes year of major expansion in China. spe rity sph e re” Inner Mongolia claims independence: peace with Manchukuo and Tokyo “Rape of Nanking”: reports of atrocities as Chinese city falls. end Japan has no regrets about leaving League in March 1933. s pr osp erou s ye ar Japanese-US trade continues; British Empire wary of antagonising Japan.
Russia Siberia Sakhalin Manchukuo Mongolia VLADIVOSTOK PEKING RYOJUN Korea Japan TOKYO NANKING China SHANGHAI Formosa Japanese Empire (Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere), 1937
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