Kwantung Army

One of the Japanese colonial standing armies, an army unit stationed in Manchuria (northeastern China). Japan, which had acquired rights in the region through the Treaty of Portsmouth and the Sino-Japanese Manchuria Settlement Agreement, continued its military administration during the Russo-Japanese War and stationed troops under the Kanto Governor-General (who became the Governor-General the following year). It was tasked with defending the Liaodong Peninsula (Kwantung Leased Territory) and the areas attached to the South Manchuria Railway, but in reality it was an imperialist army that used force against Russia and the Soviet Union and repeatedly interfered in the Chinese Revolution. In 1919 (Taisho 8), the Governor-General's Office was reorganized and it became independent as the Kwantung Army. With the progress of the Chinese national revolution, they plotted to occupy northeastern China through a conspiracy, and in 1928 (Showa 3), Chief of Staff Kawamoto Daisaku and others assassinated Zhang Zuolin by bombing, but this did not serve as an excuse for the use of force. Later, the plot was continued by staff officers Itagaki Seishiro and Ishiwara Kanji in the Liutiao Lake Incident in 1931, and the Kwantung Army occupied the entire northeast (Manchurian Incident), separating the area from China and establishing "Manchukuo" the following year. At the same time, the commander of the Kwantung Army was also the ambassador plenipotentiary to "Manchukuo" and the Governor of the Kwantung Army, and the Kwantung Army held all authority over the management of Manchuria for Japan. While deciding the policies for "Manchukuo" from behind the scenes, the Kwantung Army worked to suppress anti-Manchu and anti-Japanese movements, and even sent troops to North China and Inner Mongolia, acting as the vanguard of Japan's invasion of China. Furthermore, in anticipation of war against the Soviet Union, the military strength expanded dramatically, boasting the finest troops in the army, but its weak mobility was exposed when it engaged in combat with Soviet forces in the Changkufeng and Nomonhan incidents of 1938-1939. Taking advantage of the outbreak of the German-Soviet War in 1941, it massed a large army of 700,000 troops around the Soviet-Manchuria border (Kwantung Army Special Exercises) to check the Soviet army's advance westward, but was weakened by being diverted to the south during the Pacific War, and was destroyed when the Soviet Union entered the war in 1945. Towards the end of its life, it became notorious for developing and manufacturing biological weapons at large-scale facilities, and conducting experiments on humans.

[Makio Okabe]

"The Kwantung Army by Toshihiko Shimada (Chuko Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の植民地常備軍の一つで、満州（中国東北地区）に置かれた陸軍部隊。ポーツマス条約、日清(にっしん)満州善後協約でこの地に権益を得た日本が、日露戦争中の軍政を継続して関東総督（翌年都督となる）のもとに軍隊を駐屯させたのが前身。遼東(りょうとう／リヤオトン)半島（関東州）と満鉄付属地の守備を任としたが、実質的には対露、対ソ向けの武力で、中国革命にも干渉を繰り返す帝国主義軍隊であった。1919年（大正8）都督府の改組で関東軍として独立した。中国の国民革命の進展とともに謀略による東北の占領を画策、28年（昭和3）参謀河本大作(こうもとだいさく)らは張作霖(ちょうさくりん／チャンツオリン)を爆殺したが武力行使の口実にはならなかった。のち謀略は参謀板垣征四郎、石原莞爾(かんじ)らの手で31年の柳条湖(りゅうじょうこ)事件へと続き、関東軍は全東北を占領（満州事変）、同地を中国から分断して翌年「満州国」を樹立した。同時に関東軍司令官は「満州国」駐箚(ちゅうさつ)全権大使、関東長官を兼ね、関東軍は日本の満州経営上いっさいの権限を握った。関東軍は「満州国」の政策を背後で決定する一方、反満抗日運動の鎮圧に努め、さらに華北、内蒙古(うちもうこ)へも出兵するなど日本の中国侵略の尖兵(せんぺい)であった。また対ソ戦を期して兵力は飛躍的に拡大、陸軍中の精鋭を誇ったが、38～39年の張鼓峰(ちょうこほう)、ノモンハン両事件でソ連軍と交戦し機動力の弱さを暴露した。41年独ソ戦勃発(ぼっぱつ)に乗じソ満国境を中心に70万の大軍を集結（関特演＝関東軍特種演習）、ソ連軍の西走を牽制(けんせい)したが、太平洋戦争中は南方への転用で弱体化し、45年ソ連参戦で壊滅した。末期には大規模な設備で細菌兵器の開発、製造にあたり、人体実験を行うなど悪名が高い。

［岡部牧夫］

『島田俊彦著『関東軍』（中公新書）』

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