Manchukuo

Manchukuo , former country, comprising the three provinces of NE China, traditionally called Manchuria. The Japanese invaded Manchuria in 1931 and founded Manchukuo in 1932. Changchun, the capital, was renamed Xinjing [Chinese,=new capital]. Pu Yi , last of the Manchu ( Ch'ing ) dynasty of China, ruled as regent and emperor. Manchukuo, ostensibly an independent Manchu state, was a Japanese puppet-state. Of the major countries only Japan, Italy, and Germany extended diplomatic recognition; few foreigners were allowed into Manchukuo. The Japanese military kept strict control of the administration and fought a continuing guerrilla war with native resistance groups. To develop Manchukuo as a war base, the Japanese greatly expanded industry and railroads. After World War II, Chinese sovereignty was reasserted over the area.

Manchukuo Japanese puppet state in Manchuria (1932–45). It was under the nominal rule of the pretender to the Qing throne, Henry Pu Yi. Most foreign governments did not recognize the state of Manchukuo and, after the defeat of Japan in 1945, China regained Manchuria.

Manchukuo name given in 1932 to Manchuria, a mountainous region forming the NE portion of China, which was declared an independent state by Japan; it was restored to China in 1945.