ABSTRACT
As the Japanese empire attacked a succession of foes in the 1930s and 1940s, it confronted the disparity between its own limited resources and the resources of its enemies. Strengthening the empire by securing areas of strategic resources was a major motivation for war, and one of the most important locations for Japanese planners was Manchuria, with its soybeans, coal, and iron ore. In 1931, the Guandong Army, which had the mission of defending Japan’s colonial South Manchuria Railway (SMR) and Guandong Leasehold, moved to seize the rest of Manchuria. It then set up the puppet state of Manchukuo to control Manchuria and develop it as a base of strategic production. Labor resources were essential to these plans.
