Questions about Mukden incident
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Mukden incident and why did it happen?
The Mukden incident was a false flag attack staged by Japanese military officers on the 18th of September 1931, in which Lieutenant Suemori Kawamoto detonated explosives near a South Manchuria Railway track to create a pretext for invading Manchuria. Kwantung Army officers Seishiro Itagaki and Kanji Ishiwara planned the operation because they believed seizing Manchuria served Japan's strategic interests and feared losing the window to act as Soviet military power grew.
Who planned and carried out the Mukden incident?
The plan was finalized by Colonel Seishiro Itagaki, Lieutenant Colonel Kanji Ishiwara, Colonel Kenji Doihara, and Major Takayoshi Tanaka by the 31st of May 1931. It was executed by 1st Lieutenant Suemori Kawamoto of the Independent Garrison Unit of the 29th Infantry Regiment, who placed and detonated the explosives near Liutiao Lake.
Did the Mukden incident bomb actually destroy the railway?
No. The explosion damaged only a 1.5-meter section on one side of the rail. A train from Changchun passed over the damaged track without difficulty and arrived in Shenyang at 10:30 p.m., minutes after the blast. Post-war investigations also confirmed that the original bomb failed to detonate and a replacement had to be planted.
How did the international community respond to the Mukden incident?
China appealed to the League of Nations on the 19th of September 1931, and on October 24 the League passed a resolution demanding Japanese troop withdrawal by the 16th of November; Japan rejected it. On the 7th of January 1932, United States Secretary of State Henry Stimson issued the Stimson Doctrine, refusing to recognize any government created by Japan's actions in Manchuria. The Lytton Report, published on the 2nd of October 1932, rejected Japan's self-defense claim, and Japan resigned from the League of Nations in March 1933.
What was the result of the Mukden incident for Manchuria?
Within five months of the Mukden incident, the Imperial Japanese Army had overrun all major towns and cities in the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. In March 1932, Japan established the puppet state of Manchukuo, with the former Chinese emperor Puyi installed as head of state.
How is the Mukden incident commemorated in China today?
Each year on the 18th of September, air-raid sirens sound for several minutes at 10:00 a.m. in major cities across China, including in the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Hainan. In 1991, the People's Republic of China opened the 9.18 Incident Exhibition Museum in Shenyang on the sixtieth anniversary of the event.