Japanese occupation of China

Japan’s military control of parts of China began with the 1931 seizure of Manchuria and expanded after the 1937 outbreak of full-scale war. It ended with Japan’s surrender in 1945.

Manchukuo: A Japanese-controlled state established in Manchuria in 1932 after Japan seized the region. It became the principal administrative framework for Japanese rule in the northeast.
Mukden Incident: A 1931 railway explosion staged by Japanese officers near Mukden, used as a pretext for invading Manchuria. It initiated the seizure that established Japan’s first major occupation zone in China.
Chiang Kai-shek: Chinese Nationalist military and political leader who headed the Republic of China during the war against Japan. He led the Nationalist government’s wartime resistance from China’s interior.
Nanjing Massacre: Mass killing and other atrocities committed by Japanese troops after capturing Nanjing in December 1937. The massacre became the occupation’s most widely known instance of mass violence.
Japanese surrender: Japan’s acceptance of Allied terms in August 1945, formally announced by Emperor Hirohito on August 15. The surrender brought Japanese occupation in China to an end.
Wang Jingwei regime: A Japanese-backed Chinese government based in Nanjing from 1940 to 1945, led by Wang Jingwei. It provided a collaborationist administration in occupied eastern China.
Japanese invasion of Manchuria: Japan’s military takeover of Manchuria in 1931–1932, following the Mukden Incident. The invasion began Japan’s sustained territorial occupation in China.
Mao Zedong: Chinese Communist leader who directed the Communist Party during the war against Japan and the Chinese Civil War. His forces organized resistance in occupied and Japanese-threatened areas.
Battle of Shanghai: A major battle between Chinese and Japanese forces fought from August to November 1937. Japan’s victory opened the route to Nanjing and intensified occupation of the lower Yangtze region.
Chinese Civil War: The conflict between Chinese Nationalists and Communists that resumed after Japan’s defeat and ended in 1949. The removal of Japanese forces reopened the struggle for control of China.

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