Lytton Commission Report
When, in 1931, the Japanese occupied Manchuria, Nanjing
was helpless becuase Manchuria was only loosely associated
with Nanjing, and its governor, Zhang Xueliang, had tried to
remain independent of it. Thus, Manchuria was lost almost
without a blow. On the other hand, the fighting with Japan
that broke out soon afterwards in Shanghai brought credit to
the young Nanjing army, though owing to its numerical
inferiority it was unsuccessful. China protested to the
League of Nations against its loss of Manchuria. The League
sent a commission (the Lytton Commission), led by Victor
Lytton, which condemned Japan’s action, but nothing further
happened, and China indignantly broke away from her
association with the Western powers (1932-1933). In view of
the tense European situation (the beginning of the Hitler era
in Germany, and the Italian plans of expansion), the Western
powers did not want to fight Japan on China’s behalf, and
without that nothing more could be done. They pursued,
indeed, a policy of playing off Japan against China, in order
to keep those two powers occupied with each other, and so to
divert Japan from Indo-China and the Pacific.
China had thus to be prepared for being involved one day
in a great war with Japan. Chiang Kai-shek wanted to postpone
war as long as possible. He wanted time to establish his
power more thoroughly within the country, and to strengthen
his army. In regard to external relations, the great powers
would have to decide their attitude sooner or later. America
could not be expected to take up a clear attitude: she was
for peace and commerce, and she made greater profits out of
her relations with Japan than with China; she sent supplies
to both (until 1941). On the other hand, Britain and France
were more and more turning away from Japan, and
Russo-Japanese relations were at all times tense. Japan tried
to emerge from her isolation by joining the "axis powers",
Germany and Italy (1936); but it was still doubtful whether
the Western powers would proceed with Russia, and therefore
against Japan, or with the Axis, and therefore in alliance
with Japan.
Japan for her part considered that if she was to raise the
standard of living of her large population and to remain a
world power, she must bring into being her "Greater East
Asia", so as to have the needed raw material sources and
export markets in the event of a collision with the Western
powers; in addition to this, she needed a security girdle as
extensive as possible in case of a conflict with Russia. In
any case, "Greater East Asia" must be secured before the
European conflict should break out. Lin Sen became chairman
of the Nationalist government.
