The
Japanese invasion of Manchuria was a military incursion in 1931.
Manchuria was invaded by the
Kwantung Army of the
Empire of Japan, beginning on September 19, 1931, immediately following the
Mukden Incident. The Japanese established a puppet state, called
Manchukoku, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War II.
Railway Blitzkrieg
On September 19, 1931, the day after the
Mukden Incident, the Japanese
Imperial General Headquarters, which had decided upon a policy of localizing the incident, communicated its decision to the
Kwantung Army command.
In violation of orders from Tokyo, Kwantung Army
commander in chief General
Shigeru Honjō ordered that his forces quickly proceed to expand operations all along the
South Manchurian Railway. Under orders from Lieutenant General
Jirō Tamon, troops of the
2nd Division moved up the rail line and captured virtually every city along its 730 mile length in a matter of days, occupying
Anshan,
Haicheng,
Kaiyuan,
Tiehling,
Fushun,
Szeping-chieh,
Changchun,
Kuanchengtzu,
Yingkou,
Antung, and
Penhsihu.
Likewise on September 19, in response to General Honjō's request, the
Chosun Army in
Korea under General
Senjuro Hayashi had...
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