Beginning of Essay
The Japanese, fearful of losing their influence and control of Manchuria, began plotting. On Sept. 18, 1931, a staged explosion in Shenyang (Mukden) in southern Manchuria provided the pretext for the Kwantung Army to move against the large city and occupy it. It c ....

Middle of Essay
.... region of China. In fact, the region was virtually a colony of Japan. During World War II a base at Pinfang, near Harbin, was a prison camp for thousands of Russians, Koreans, and Chinese suspected of anti-Japanese activities. The base was actually a secret medical unit at which inhumane experiments were conducted; at least 3,000 prisoners died there. Insurgent fighting continued throughout the 1930s and the World War II period. Much of this activity was associated with the growth of the Communist movement in rural areas throughout northern China and Manchuria. Political agreements near the war's end in 1945 between United States president Fran ....