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Question

This year marks the 80^th anniversary of ‘Manchurian Incident’. Why did it take place and what is its meaning?

Answer

The Manchurian Incident, also known as the “Liutiaohu Incident (柳條湖事變)” or “September 18 Incident”, refers to Japan’s occupation of the northeastern part of China (Manchuria) by force in September 1931. In the 19^th century, conflicts between ethnic groups grew fiercer in Manchuria as neighboring tribes, including Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Russians, and Jews, moved to this region. From June to July 1931, the Nakamura Incident and the Wanbaoshan Incident (萬寶山事件) took place, and ethnic Chinese were ostracized in Joseon in the wake of the Wanbaoshan Incident. In August, Chinese attacked Japanese in Qingdao. A series of events aggravated the sentiments of Chinese and Japanese, and some Japanese soldiers argued that the use of forces was necessary to address problems in Manchuria and Mongolia.

On September 18, 1931, Japanese Kwantung Army (關東軍) sent colonels to an area near Liutiaohu, north of Shenyang, and damaged the South Manchuria Railway. Kwantung Army argued that it was Chinese soldiers that destroyed the railway, and destroyed Beidaying barracks and occupied Shenyang. Japan continued to attack and occupy major cities in Liaoning and Jilin.

Chiang Kai-shek, President of the Republic of China, ordered Chinese soldiers not to respond to Japan’s attacks in order to avoid military conflicts with Japan. At the same time, the Chinese government issued a strong protest to Japan and called for the immediate stop to Japanese military operations in Manchuria, and appealed to the League of Nations. Japan refused to withdraw its forces from Manchuria, citing the issue of assuring safety for Japanese and Joseon people, and expressed its position that it would like to have bilateral negotiations with China to resolve this issue. Japanese army claimed that expansion of war was needed to resolve the issues in Manchuria and Mongolia, while non-military leadership called for diplomatic resolution. The League of Nations recommended the withdrawal of Japanese troops, but Japan rejected it.

While stakeholders engaged in diplomatic disputes, Japanese troops occupied the entire Manchuria in only four months from October that year to February next year. Japan incited pro-Japanese figures in Manchuria to participate in independence movement, and established a puppet state, Manchukuo, on March 1, with the last Emperor of Qing China, Puyi, installed as head of state.

Before and after the Manchurian Incident, a lot of Joseon nationals in Manchuria were attacked, looted, and even murdered by Chinese soldiers. Many Joseon people returned to Joseon amid fear and anxiety, and some ethnic Chinese came back to China. In addition, anti-Japanese movement expanded its reach in China, with the establishment of anti-Japanese groups and troops as well as boycott campaign of Japanese goods. Ultimately, the Manchurian Incident was an outbreak of escalating tensions and conflicts between different ethnic groups in Manchuria, especially between Chinese and Japanese, and it was a pretext for Japan’s invasion of mainland China.