The Manchurian Incident and Party Cabinets

Abstract

This chapter covers the turbulent years (1926–1932) when Japanese diplomacy towards China was in a state of flux and party cabinets were in decline. The increasingly uncontrollable Kantō Army, in an attempt to protect Japanese interests in northeast China, assassinated Zhang Zuolin, caused the Manchurian Incident, and expanded military operations into Manchuria, thus causing harm to Japan’s relations with China and the United States. The question of the imperial prerogative of supreme command, the politicization of the Japanese Imperial Army, and the efforts of successive Japanese cabinets to achieves political stability form a complex story that ultimately led to the founding of the puppet state of Manchukuo.