Manchukuo

Manchukuo or Manchoukuo was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. Its territory consisted of the lands seized in the Japanese invasion of Manchuria and only received limited diplomatic recognition, primarily from states aligned with the Axis powers, with its existence widely regarded as illegitimate.

The region of Manchuria, present day Northeast China had historically been the homeland of the Manchu people, though by the 20th century they had long since become a minority in the region, with Han Chinese constituting by far the largest ethnic group. The Manchu-led Qing dynasty, which had governed China since the 17th century, was overthrown with the permanent abolition of the dynastic system in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, with Puyi, the final emperor of China, forced to abdicate at the age of six. In 1931, Manchuria was invaded and occupied by the Empire of Japan following the Mukden incident. A puppet government was set up the following year, with Puyi brought in by the Japanese to serve as its nominal regent, though he himself had no actual political power. Japanese officials ultimately made all pertinent decisions, and exercised total control over Puyi's court and personal safety. Upon Manchukuo's transition into a formal monarchy, Puyi was proclaimed as the emperor of Manchukuo.

The Japanese population of Manchuria increased dramatically during this period, largely due to Japan's efforts to resettle young, land-poor farmers from the inner islands. By 1945, more than a million Japanese people had settled within Manchukuo.