Editing Manchukuo (section)

=== Japanese invasion and establishment of Manchukuo ===
{{see also|Mukden Incident|Japanese invasion of Manchuria|Pacification of Manchukuo|Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere}}
During the [[Warlord Era]], Marshal [[Zhang Zuolin]] established himself in Manchuria with Japanese backing.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fenby|first1=Jonathan|title=Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the China he lost|date=2003|publisher=Free|location=London|isbn=9780743231442|page=103}}</ref> Later, the Japanese Kwantung Army found him too independent, so he was assassinated in 1928. In assassinating Marshal Zhang, the 'Old Marshal', the Kwantung Army generals expected Manchuria to descend into anarchy, providing the pretext for seizing the region.{{sfn|Young|1998|p=31}} Marshal Zhang was killed when the bridge his train was riding across was blown up while three Chinese men were murdered and explosive equipment was placed on their corpses to make it appear that they were the killers, but the plot was foiled when Zhang's son [[Zhang Xueliang]], the 'Young Marshal', succeeded him without incident while Tokyo refused to send additional troops to Manchuria.{{sfn|Young|1998|p=31}} Given that the Kwantung Army had assassinated his father, the "Young Marshal"—who unlike his father was a Chinese nationalist—had strong reasons to dislike Japan's privileged position in Manchuria.{{sfn|Young|1998|p=38}} Marshal Zhang knew his forces were too weak to expel the Kwantung Army, but his relations with the Japanese were unfriendly right from the start.{{sfn|Young|1998|p=38}}

[[File:Japan Manchukuo Protocol 15 September 1932.jpg|thumb|The [[Japan–Manchukuo Protocol]] signed on 15 September 1932]]
[[File:Museum imperial palace manchu state throne room 2011 07 26.jpg|thumb|Throne of the Emperor of Manchukuo]]

After the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]] in 1931, Japanese militarists moved forward to separate the region from Chinese control and to create a Japanese-aligned puppet state. To create an air of legitimacy, the last Emperor of China, [[Puyi]], was [[Tientsin Incident (1931)|invited to come]] with his followers and act as the head of state for Manchuria. One of his faithful companions was [[Zheng Xiaoxu]], a Qing reformist and loyalist.<ref name="rj438">Reginald Fleming Johnston, p. 438.</ref>

The "Northeast Supreme Administrative Council"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Shaosi|first=Zhang|title=中国抗日战争大辞典 [A Dictionary of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War]|publisher=Wuhan Publishing House|year=1995|pages=389}}</ref> was established as a Japanese puppet organization in [[Manchuria]] following the [[Mukden Incident]]. On 16 February 1932, the Imperial Army hosted the "Founding Conference" or "Big Four Conference" with [[Liaoning]] governor [[Zang Shiyi]], [[Heilongjiang]] governor [[Zhang Jinghui]], commander of the Kirin Provincial Army [[Xi Qia]], and general [[Ma Zhanshan]], in order to establish the Northeast Administrative Committee. On the committee's second meeting, the aforementioned four plus [[Tang Yulin]], Ling Sheng, and Qimote Semupilei were appointed as chairmen. On 18 February, the Council issued a statement announcing that "the Northeast provinces are completely independent".{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

On 18 February 1932<ref>[http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_2.html ''Between World Wars''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031081550/http://www.grolier.com/wwii/wwii_2.html |date=31 October 2006 }}</ref> Manchukuo was proclaimed by the Northeast Supreme Administrative Council nominally in control of the region.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} On 25 February, the Council decided that the name of the new country name (Manchukuo), the national flag, era name, and more. Manchukuo was formally established on 1 March in [[Changchun|Xinjing]], and the council was abolished.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chongde|first=Xu|title=中华法学大辞典·宪法学卷 [Chinese Law Dictionary·Constitution Volume]|publisher=China Procuratorate Press|pages=1995}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hongyuan|first=Wei|title=伪满洲国的成立 [The establishment of Manchukuo]|publisher=Liaoning People's Publishing House|year=1998}}</ref> It received formal recognition from Japan on 15 September 1932 through the [[Japan–Manchukuo Protocol]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Q4pX1uKkWf8C&pg=PA20 ''Continent, coast, ocean: dynamics of regionalism in Eastern Asia'' by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies p.20] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613022152/http://books.google.com/books?id=Q4pX1uKkWf8C&pg=PA20 |date=13 June 2014 }}</ref> after the assassination of [[Prime Minister of Japan|Japanese Prime Minister]] [[Inukai Tsuyoshi]]. The city of [[Changchun]]—renamed {{lang-zh|c=新京|p=Xīnjīng|l=new capital|labels=no}}—became the capital of Manchukuo. The local Chinese organized [[Anti-Japanese Volunteer Armies|volunteer armies]] to oppose the Japanese and the new state required a [[Pacification of Manchukuo|war]] lasting several years to pacify the country.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}