History glossary
Kwantung Army
the Japanese army command in Manchuria that seized increasing political initiative in the 1930s.
- Category
- Military institution
- Region
- East Asia
- Date range
- 1906-1945
What it means
The Kwantung Army was the Japanese army command stationed around leased territory and railway interests in Manchuria. Its officers played a decisive role in the 1931 seizure of Manchuria and the weakening of civilian restraint over military expansion.
Stories using this term
Imperial Japan
From Meiji modernisation to colonial rule, militarism, mobilisation and defeat, Imperial Japan rose as a modern empire before collapsing in 1945.
The Causes of the Second World War
From the flawed peace of 1919 to the invasion of Poland in 1939, this story traces the interlocking causes of the Second World War across two decades of crisis, ideology, and failed deterrence.
The Pacific War
From imperial expansion in Manchuria to surrender in 1945, the Pacific War remade Asia through conquest, occupation, naval warfare, and devastating defeat.
