Manzhouguo

Manzhouguo (满洲国/滿洲國; Hanyu pinyin : Mǎnzhōuguó ; EFEO: Man-tcheou-kouo ; Lagging-Gilles: Man-cabbage-kuo ; Japanese Manshūkoku ; literally: “Nation of Mandchourie”) was a Puppet government nominally independent, but set up and controlled by the Japanese Empire in the North-East of the China. There existed of 1931 with 1945.

Political history of Manzhouguo

The Mandchourie passed under Russian influence with the construction of the Railroad of the Chinese East of Harbin to Vladivostok. Japan replaced the Russia in the north of China after the Guerre Russo-Japanese woman in 1904 - 1905, and installed the line of the Manchu South in 1906 starting from Port-Arthur (in Japanese Ryojun, today Lüshunkou, close to Dalian).

Between the first and the Second world war Mandchourie became a political and military battle field. The Japanese influence extended to it in the wake from the Russian Révolution but the Soviet Union took again control in 1925 of it.

During the time of the lords of the war in China, Zhang Zuolin is established in Mandchourie but, being too independent and threatening for close Japan (which occupied Korea), he was assassinated. After the Japanese invasion of China in 1931, Japan declared the zone independent of the China the February 18th 1932 under the name of Grand State Manchu ( Manzhouguo ) of China. Changchun (長春) was selected like capital and famous Xinjing (新京) or “new capital”.

Aixinjueluo Puyi, the last emperor of the Dynastie Qing was installed in 1932 by the Japanese as chief of the executive and in 1934 as emperor of Manzhouguo. The country is then named Grand Manchu Empire and Puyi takes the name of Kangde.

The Prime Minister was, initially, Zheng Xiaoxu (of 1931 with 1935), but this one being appreciated little, as well by the emperor as by the people, was dislocated of his functions, and will be replaced by Zhang Jinghui which remained at this station until in 1945.

Manzhouguo was thus formally detached from China by Japan in the Années 1930 and, with the Japanese investment and its rich person natural resources, became an industrial power. The government of occupation was directly financed by the mode shôwa. According to a document found in 2007 by the journalist Reiji Yoshida, it Kôa-in (Development agency of Eastern Asia) provided funds to the drug traffickers in China for the use of part of the benefit of the sale of the Opium, Héroïne and Morphine with the profit of the governments of occupation of Manzhuguo, Nanjing and Mongolia

The State was not recognized by the majority of the nations of the world, and the declarations of the Société of the Nations affirming that Manzhouguo was always part of China involved the withdrawal of Japan of this organization in 1934. Japan, the Italy and the Germany (in other words the Axe) were the only countries to recognize Manzhouguo diplomatically, but the State of the Vatican also recognized it, which will involve difficulties between China and the Catholic religion, difficulties which still persist at the end of the 20th century. The government Chinese collaborationnist of Wang Jingwei establishes to him also diplomatic relations.

It was used as home base for the invasions of its neighbors but with often disastrous results.

After the atomic bombardment of Hiroshima on Japan in 1945, the Soviet Union, in conformity with the agreement obtained with the Conference of Yalta, invades the country. From 1945 to 1948, this one became a base for the popular Armée with release during the Fin of the Chinese civil war against the Guomindang thanks to the support of the USSR.

In 2004 a government in exile is founded and directed by Minbyong Nyougulu.

Administrative divisions

In 1934, Manzhouguo at summer organized in fourteen provinces (省) and two special municipalities (特別市).

In 1939, Manzhouguo was reorganized in nineteen provinces and a special municipality. The municipality of Harbin was removed and four new provinces were added.

Bacteriological research unit

The Japanese administration establishes as of 1932 with Beiyihe, close to Harbin, a bacteriological research unit whose mission was the study of diseases like the Peste, the Choléra and the Typhus. Directed by Shirō Ishii, this unit was moved with Pingfan in 1936. Increased by mandate imperial and incorporated in the army of the Kantôgun under the name of Unit 731, it proceeded until in 1945 to experiments on human prisoners, as a majority of the Chinese civilians, Korea Russian NS and , of which women and children.

In exchange of the results of their research Shirō Ishii and the members of his team were not assigned to appear by American in front of the Tribunal of Tōkyō.

Forced labors

In order to develop the territory for the benefit of the empire, the Japanese government created it Kôa-in, the Development agency of Eastern Asia, charged on the one hand to ensure the control of the richness plundered by the army of Kantôgun and on the other hand to structure the occupation and to support the effort of war.

According to the work undertaken by a joint committee of historian made up of Zhifen Ju, Mitsuyochi Himeta, Tōru Kubo and Mark Peattie, it Kôa-in supervised a system of Forced labors implying ten million Chinese civilians enlisted in the mines and the factories of Manzhouguo.

Japanese population

In 1931 - 1932 there was: 100000 Japanese farmers; other sources mention: 590760 inhabitants of Japanese nationality. Others speak about a strong Japanese population about: 240000 people, increasing later with: 837000 individuals. In Xinjing they composed 25 % of the population. The Japanese government, in official plans, had projected the emigration of five million Japanese in Manzhouguo between 1936 and 1956. Between 1938 and 1942, a quota of: 200000 young farmers arrived in the country; by associating this group, after 1936, it were: 20000 complete families in Manzhouguo. When Japan lost the control of the seas and the airs in Yellow Mer, this migration stopped.

When the Red Army invaded Manzhouguo, they captured: 850000 Japanese colonists. Except some civils servant and soldiers, those were repatriated in Japan in 1946 - 1947.

Education

During the Japanese occupation, education developed much in order to satisfy the needs for the immigrants of the mode Shōwa. Thus, the Japanese installed and founded many schools and of Université S techniques, one counted twelve thousand elementary schools in Manzhouguo, two hundred colleges, a hundred and forty teacher training schools (to prepare professors), and fifty technical training schools and professional. On the whole the school system counted six hundred and thousand children and young pupils with twenty-five thousand professors. There were thousand six hundred private schools (with the authorization Japanese women), including a hundred and fifty schools of missionary, like twenty-five Russian schools with Harbin.

Stamps and postal history

Manzhouguo declares its independence on March 1st 1932 and the March 20th, the new government announces that the department of the communications will replace the Chinese administration from. However, the Japanese soldiers maintain such a pressure on the Chinese post-office employees that the authorities of Nankin order a blockade of the postal activities. These last, under Chinese administration, cease completely the July 24th 1932. The department of the communications of Xinjing sets up a new administration with such a promptitude that the offices are reopened the July 26th 1932 with the emission of a first current series.

For these stamps, the government retains two drawings: the white Pagoda of Liaoyang and the portrait of Henri Puyi. From July 1932 to April 1934 the stamps will carry an inscription of four Chinese characters meaning “postal administration of the Manchu State”; as from March 1934, the inscription is made up of five characters meaning “postal administration of the Manchu Empire” indicating by there the regime change. These inscription are not reproduced on series of stamps emitted starting from 1935 and intended to frank the letters bound for China because the latter will never recognize Manzhouguo. A Orchidée (recognized as imperial symbol) appears in the drawing of the stamps in 1935. During its existence, Manzhouguo will emit twelve series of current stamps (including those for China), thirteen series of commemorative stamps, fifteen postal whole series of , two series of stamps for the airmail, the official booklets intended for the UPU and a few tens of philatelic products . The last stamps of Manzhouguo (a series for the airmail) will not be emitted. Ordered tardily, they arrive at current Xinjing 1945 and their putting into circulation is planned for on September 20th. The history decides some differently since Manzhouguo ceases existing the August 15th 1945.

After the dissolution of the government, the stamps which were in reserve are overloaded locally with sinogrammes meaning “Republic of China”. Much will be it by the administration of Lüshunkou and Dalian between 1946 and 1949.

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