SDHF Newsletter No.122 How China Started the Second Sino 2

How China Started the Second Sino-Japanese War:
Why Should Japan Apologize to China?
By Moteki Hiromichi, Acting Chairman;
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact

Part 1 – The Manchurian Incident

May 13, 2016

After the 10,000-strong Japanese Kwantung Army defeated Zhang Xueliang’s Army of 250,000, many local committees within Manchuria declared independence.
Zhang Jinghui, former Mayor of Harbin, established the Haribin Special Administrative District Peace Preservation Committee and later became the second prime minister of Manchuquo.
As a representative of Manchuquo, he gave the following speech on November 5, 1943 at the Greater East Asia Conference in Tokyo:

“Now I am looking back over the foundation of the country of Manchuria, ten years ago, as the first country ever founded which is confident of being Asian in the true sense of the word. Deeply excited, I feel proud of our new country. Luckily, I too took part in the foundation with irresistible passion. I am reminded that what was missing in Manchuria at that time was a political system based on moral justice. That is why the public has not been organized toward any idealistic goal. The land was devastated and the people were randomly and lawlessly exploited. The military clique played feudal politics and imposed heavy, unjust taxes. In fact, such a situation was nothing but a symbol of ill-treated Asia, which was without any freedom or creativity. It was the militaristic clique of Zhang Xueliang that practically assumed control of the district of Manchuria, cruelly squeezing the people. The dictator was inspired by Americans and Britons with their policy to disturb Asia, which led him to be hostile to Japan. Japan decisively launched a counterattack until, at last, the Zhang government broke down. As a result, it was no wonder that thirty million people got together to give support to the new country of morality and autonomy. They knew the new government had a doubtless and firm intention of making much of the welfare of the people and the development of the land.”

Zhang’s statement captures the essence of the Manchurian Incident.

Part 1. The Manchurian Incident:
URL: https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/694/
PDF: https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Second-Sino-Japanese-War-Part-1.pdf

Questions are welcome.

MOTEKI Hiromichi, Acting Chairman
for KASE Hideaki, Chairman
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact