ABSTRACT
The changes in the political landscape of north China, and the shifts in the political strategy adopted by the Japanese military in north China brought Song Zheyuan into the front line of Sino-Japanese interaction in the autumn of 1935. The Japanese armies were now modifying their approach to Chinese in north China: while remaining resolutely hostile to officials associated with Nanjing, they adopted an ostensibly more inclusive attitude towards regional officials who appeared prepared to distance themselves from the central government. The Japanese military’s principal political objective was now the financial and political detachment of north China from the direct control of the Nanjing government, and the creation of an ‘autonomous’ regime under Japanese tutelage. These efforts culminated in October and November in the Japanese-sponsored ‘north China autonomy movement’ (huabei zizhi yundong), which was intended to secure financial and political autonomy for the five north China provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, Chaha’er and Suiyuan.
