大満州帝国 Independence Day

It was on this day in 1932 that the State of Manchuria declared independence from the Republic of China. This is something which many people today have an incorrect understanding of. Too many always assume that the country (known in the west as Manchukuo even though this is only "Manchuria" in Chinese) was nothing more than a "puppet state" of the Empire of Japan from start to finish. However, this ignores a number of inarguable historical facts. For one thing, not many people are aware that while Manchuria declared independence from China on February 18, 1932 it was not recognized as an independent country by Japan until September of that year. It also ignores the fact that China had no right to Manchuria, had never ruled Manchuria and, indeed, the ties between the Republic of China and Manchuria before the declaration of independence had been mostly a legal formality. Manchuria had previously been ruled by a father and then son succession of warlords since the downfall of the Great Qing Empire. So, while Manchuria had, in a manner of speaking, ruled China; China had never ruled Manchuria and had no right to claim sovereignty over it anyway. The declaration of independence was simply a formal statement of what was actually an established fact.

Manchuria had no part in the revolution that brought down (through betrayal and trickery) the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent Republic of China had no legitimate claim to it. By restoring the last Qing emperor to power in Manchuria, the Japanese forces were only correcting what had been a gross historical injustice. The Chinese may have chosen to overthrow the imperial system (even though no majority of the Chinese people ever agreed to such a thing) but they certainly had no right to claim ownership of Manchuria which had been ruled by the Qing dynasty generations before they became the rulers of China. For the Republic of China to claim ownership of Manchuria would be the equivalent of the United States claiming ownership of Great Britain after winning the American Revolution because both places had previously been part of the British Empire. If you look at it in that context it is obvious how absurd the Chinese claim to Manchuria was. By supporting the cause of Manchu independence, Japan was only helping to restore the legitimate ruler to his ancestral throne which should have been his all along. The Chinese themselves had previously claimed, in their revolutionary propaganda, that the Manchu dynasty was "foreign". So, if the Manchus were foreigners to China, how can they also claim that Manchuria was an integral part of China? If Manchuria was part of China then the Manchus would not have been foreigners at all.

The State of Manchuria (later fully restored as the Empire of Manchuria) was opposed by the Republic of China because they did not want to part with their own ill-gotten gains. It was not widely embraced by the rest of the world, not so much because of the influence of Japan (which was only natural since Japan had incurred the expense and taken the risks in helping to establish the country) but because they feared the example this might set for other countries under European colonial rule. Manchuria was to be a showcase for East Asian solidarity and benevolent monarchial rule. This was the symbolism of the Manchu flag with colors to represent the five races of the Manchu, Japanese, Chinese, Mongol and Korean peoples working together under the Emperor for a modern country that would be prosperous, virtuous and based on a respect for tradition with racial harmony and Asian solidarity loyal to the principles of monarchy or the "Kingly Way". This was the vision of the Manchu and Japanese leaders who cooperated in the establishment of Manchuria as an independent power.

Naturally, Manchuria relied heavily on Japan, especially in the beginning and, because of this, the part of Japan in national affairs was more prominent. That is no different than even the way countries do things today around the world. Unfortunately, many still take the view that the creation of the independent State and later Empire of Manchuria was deceptive project by Japan that never had any meaning. It is true that there was overreaching by some Japanese authorities when it came to Manchuria and other Japanese statesmen and generals protested against this, always keeping in mind the pure ideal of a true partnership of the peoples of northeast Asia. However, to say that the entire existence of Manchuria was a Japanese project is a total lie. The Empire of Japan never annexed any Manchurian territory and it applauded the full restoration of the last Manchu Emperor to his imperial status from being "Chief Executive". The fact that the Japanese language was taught in Manchurian schools was simply a matter of practicality, more justified certainly than France or Britain teaching their own language in schools from Africa to India to Indochina. With a country populated by Mongols, Manchus, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans there had to be one common language everyone understood in order to function and it was just as well to be Japanese as any other especially since so many spoke it already. The establishment of Shinto shrines across Manchuria is often also pointed to as a symbol of Japanese subservience but that is ridiculous. Do the Christian churches in Japan or Korea imply subservience? Do the mosques in London, Paris or Rome imply subservience today? Of course not and freedom of religion was always guaranteed in Manchuria and that did not change until independence was lost and the communists took over.

Independent Manchuria represented a great opportunity for the people of East Asia and to a lesser extent for people around the world as what was intended to be a model country of benevolence, racial harmony and legitimate, monarchist government. It was a tragedy for the world, even if most did not realize it at the time, that the Allied nations at the end of World War II did not maintain the Empire of Manchuria. Certainly the Emperor had done absolutely nothing wrong and did not deserve to be treated like a criminal and why were the Manchus, of all people, not considered entitled to their own homeland? If Manchu independence had been maintained the communist Chinese would have been deprived of their industrial heartland and perhaps would not have defeated the Republic of China. Even if they had, an independent Manchuria would have prevented any communist intervention in the Korean war and the peninsula would not be divided today. It would have also provided an outlet to freedom for the oppressed people of Mongolia. It was a terrible tragedy for the world that Manchuria was not maintained as well as for the Manchu people who have virtually ceased to exist in the years since the fall of the Manchu Empire. Japan can be proud for doing everything possible to prevent all of these disasters.