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81-1140: After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria , the Soviet Red Army facilitated the transfer of Man-ei's assets and equipment to the Chinese communists. This became the basis for the Communist Party of China's first full function film studio, the Northeastern Film Studio . Man'ei was established by the Kwantung Army in the occupied northeast part of China in 1937. Man'ei controlled the entire process of film production, as well as release and international distribution of Manchurian films. With its large-scale investment and capital, Man'ei mainly focused on producing political films, dramas, propaganda, and documentaries. Man'ei also expanded its film production across Japanese-occupied East Asia and exported these productions to Axis countries to achieve

162-577: A 1942 article entitled "Making Films for the Manchurians," Amakasu stated: "There is absolutely no need to make films that exoticize Manchukuo for Japan. Japan will probably make their own films that get it wrong anyhow, vulgarizing the unusual aspects of Manchuria. We must not forget that our focus is the Manchurians and, after we make headway, nothing should keep us from producing films for Japan." Following Japan's unconditional surrender in August 1945,

243-556: A conventional land war against a coordinated enemy. In fact, only six of the Kwantung Army's divisions existed prior to January 1945. Accordingly, the Japanese regarded none of the Kwantung Army's units as combat ready, with some units being declared less than 15% ready. The Imperial Japanese Navy did not contribute to the defense of Manchuria, the occupation of which it had always opposed on strategic grounds. Additionally, by

324-539: A railway was built between Hegang and Jiamusi , some 30 miles to the south on the Songhua River . A coal carrier fleet was privately financed in 1930 by General Zhang Xueliang . In August 1932, Hegang mines were occupied by the Japanese as the Japanese Empire advanced through Manchuria. The mines were further developed during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. On August 11, 1945, Hegang was occupied by

405-559: A simultaneous invasion on three fronts that began just after midnight on 9 August. The Far East Command, under Marshal of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Vasilevsky, had a plan to conquer Manchuria that was simple but huge in scale, calling for a massive pincer movement over all of Manchuria. This was to be performed by the Transbaikal Front from the west and by the 1st Far Eastern Front from

486-755: Is a prefecture-level city in Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China , situated in the southeastern section of the Lesser Khingan Range, facing Jiamusi across the Songhua River to the south and Russia 's Jewish Autonomous Oblast across the Amur River to the north. Hegang is one of the principal coal-producing cities in China. Hegang covers an administrative area of 14,679.88 km (5,667.93 sq mi) and according to

567-541: Is also credited with launching the career of the actress and singer Yoshiko Yamaguchi . Chinese audiences regarded her as a Chinese girl, as she spoke fluent Mandarin. After the Pacific War , she returned to Japan, from where she later pursued a career in Hollywood . Man'ei distinguished itself from other Japanese colonial film studios. Amakasu maintained that his primary audience was not Japanese, but Manchurian. In

648-533: The Gyokuon-hōsō which was broadcast on radio to the Japanese nation on 15 August 1945. It made no direct reference to a surrender of Japan, instead stating that the government had been instructed to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration fully. This created confusion in the minds of many listeners who were not sure if Japan had surrendered. The poor audio quality of the radio broadcast, as well as

729-466: The 2020 Chinese census , has a population of 891,271 inhabitants, of whom 545,404 lived in the built-up ( or metro ) area made of 6 urban districts. The region of Hegang was a desolate and uninhabited area until the late 1890s. In 1906, the area of Hegang City was under the administration of Tangyuan County under the Qing Dynasty . Since then, the government has been encouraging people to farm in

810-503: The 6th Guards Tank Army was to serve as an armored spearhead , leading the Front's advance and capturing objectives 350 km (220 mi) inside Manchuria by the fifth day of the invasion. The 36th Army was also attacking from the west, but with the objective of meeting forces of the 2nd Far Eastern Front at Harbin and Qiqihar . The 1st Far Eastern Front , under Marshal Kirill Meretskov , included: The 1st Far Eastern Front

891-519: The DPRK , Kim Il Sung ) were also sent to assist in the following occupation of Northern Korea as part of the 1st Far Eastern Front. Once troops from the 1st Far Eastern Front and Transbaikal Front captured the city of Changchun, the 2nd Far Eastern Front was to attack the Liaotung Peninsula and seize Port Arthur (present day Lüshun ). Each front had "front units" attached directly to

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972-572: The German surrender on May 8 (9 May, 0:43 Moscow time). Although the commencement of the invasion fell between the American atomic bombing of Hiroshima , on 6 August, and only hours before the Nagasaki bombing on 9 August, the timing of the invasion had been planned well in advance and was determined by the timing of the agreements at Tehran and Yalta, the long-term buildup of Soviet forces in

1053-649: The Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation or simply the Manchurian Operation ( Маньчжурская операция ) and sometimes Operation August Storm , began on 9 August 1945 with the Soviet invasion of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo , which was situated in Japanese-occupied Manchuria . It was the largest campaign of the 1945 Soviet–Japanese War , which resumed hostilities between

1134-606: The Russo-Japanese War of 1905. The stories of how poorly the Soviets treated the Japanese were brought to Beijing by Japanese evacuees of Manchuria, creating panic among the Japanese population; however, the Russians honored their agreement with Chiang Kai-shek by not entering China proper. Japanese communication infrastructure was poor, and the Japanese lost communication with forward units very early on. However,

1215-570: The Soviet Red Army helped the Chinese communists to take over Man'ei. The former colonial studio was relocated to Hegang , where it was established as Northeastern Film Studio , the communist party's first full-capacity film studio. Yuan Muzhi was its director and Chen Bo'er was its party secretary. Northeastern Film Studio began production in early 1947, focusing on news and documentary films, as well as some fiction, educational film for children, and animation. At its peak, Man'ei became

1296-760: The Amur River with an international border of 235 kilometres (146 mi). Lesser Khingan Mountains crosses the city. The total administrative area of Hegang is 14,648 square kilometres (5,656 sq mi). Amur river and Songhua river are the main rivers in Hegang. Hegang has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dwb/Dwa ), with long, bitterly cold, but dry winters, and humid and warm summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −16.6 °C (2 °F) in January to 21.7 °C (71.1 °F) in July, and

1377-706: The Battle of Manchuria . It has also been referred to as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation . The Russo-Japanese War of the early 20th century resulted in a Japanese victory and the Treaty of Portsmouth by which, in conjunction with other later events including the Mukden incident and Japanese invasion of Manchuria in September 1931, Japan eventually gained control of Korea, Manchuria and South Sakhalin. In

1458-617: The Far East since Tehran, and the date of the German surrender some three months earlier; on August 3, Marshal Vasilevsky reported to Premier Joseph Stalin that, if necessary, he could attack on the morning of 5 August. At 11 p.m. Trans-Baikal ( UTC+10 ) time on 8 August 1945, Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov informed Japanese ambassador Naotake Satō that the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan , and that from 9 August

1539-455: The Far East, in return for agreeing to enter the Pacific war within two or three months after the defeat of Germany. By the middle of March, things were not going well in the Pacific for the Japanese, and they had withdrawn their elite troops from Manchuria to support actions in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the Soviets continued their Far Eastern buildup, having decided that they did not wish to renew

1620-419: The Japanese had nothing to worry about. Germany surrendered just after midnight Moscow time on 9 May 1945, meaning that if the Soviets were to honour the agreement at Yalta, they would need to enter the war with Japan by 9 August. The situation continued to deteriorate for the Japanese, now the only Axis power left in the war. They were keen to stay at peace with the Soviets, and ultimately to achieve an end to

1701-526: The Japanese had observed Soviet activity only on the Trans-Siberian railway and along the east Manchurian front, and accordingly prepared for an invasion from the east. They believed that when an attack occurred from the west, the redeployed forces would be able to deal with it. Although the Japanese redeployment in Manchukuo had begun, it was not due for completion until September 1945, and hence

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1782-411: The Japanese made new operational plans during the summer of 1945 for the defence of Manchuria against a seemingly inevitable Soviet attack. These called for redeploying the bulk of available forces from the border areas; the borders were to be held lightly and delaying actions were to be fought while the main force was to hold the southeastern corner in strength (so defending Korea from attack). Further,

1863-587: The Japanese military analysis of Soviet logistics, and the defenders were caught by surprise in unfortified positions. The Kwantung Army commanders were engaged in a planning exercise at the time of the invasion, and were away from their forces for the first eighteen hours of conflict. The Russians treated the Japanese with the utmost cruelty after their deadly attack on Japan's Kwantung Army in Manchuria just days before Japan's surrender. Japanese forces were overwhelmed by Soviet attacks. Soviet paratroopers destroyed

1944-765: The Japanese to concentrate on their southern expansion into Asia and the Pacific Ocean. With success at Stalingrad , and the eventual defeat of Germany becoming increasingly certain, the Soviet attitude to Japan changed, both publicly, with Stalin making speeches denouncing Japan, and covertly with the building up of forces and supplies in the Far East. At the Tehran Conference in November 1943, Stalin, Winston Churchill , and Franklin Roosevelt agreed that

2025-479: The Kwantung Army from behind its own lines, while Japanese anti-tank shells bounced off the sides of Soviet tanks. The Japanese forces in Manchuria retreated in fear. Japanese troops and able-bodied Japanese men in Manchuria were taken prisoner by the Russians and transported to labor camps in Siberia, where many Japanese men would die. From the Russians' perspective, this was seen as revenge for Russia's defeat in

2106-857: The Kwantung Army had a formidable reputation as fierce and relentless fighters, and even though understrength and unprepared, put up strong resistance at the town of Hailar which tied down some of the Soviet forces. The Japanese defenders held out until 18 August, when 3,827 survivors surrendered. At the same time, Soviet airborne units seized airfields and city centers in advance of the land forces, and aircraft ferried fuel to those units that had outrun their supply lines. Due to Japanese 37mm and 47mm anti-tank guns being only suitable for fighting light Soviet tanks, Japanese forces decided to use suicide bomber squads strapped with grenades and explosives as their main improvised anti-tank weapon. Japanese Army aviation employed several kamikaze attacks to strike Soviet armoured targets and fortifications in attempt to stop

2187-716: The Kwantung Army was far below its authorized strength; most of its heavy equipment and all of its best military units had transferred to the Pacific Theater over the previous three years to contend with the advance of American forces. Some Kwantung Army units had also re-deployed south against the Nationalist Chinese in Operation Ichigo in 1944. By 1945 the Kwantung Army contained a large number of raw recruits and conscripts, with generally obsolete, light, or otherwise limited equipment. Almost all of

2268-469: The Kwantung Army was in the midst of redeploying when the Soviets launched their attack simultaneously on all three fronts. The operation was carried out as a classic double pincer movement over an area the size of the entire Western European theatre of World War II . In the western pincer, the Red Army advanced over the deserts and mountains from Mongolia, far from their resupply railways. This confounded

2349-469: The National Archive and Records Administration after the Japanese surrender in 1945. According to a 1939 survey of educated Manchurian viewers, Man'ei films were found to be dull and implausible, reflecting little knowledge of real life in Manchukuo. In response, Man'ei strived to produce high-quality dramas. Educational films continued to occupy a large proportion of Man’ei's productions. Later,

2430-522: The Neutrality Pact. The terms of the Pact required a notification of expiry 12 months ahead of time, so on 5 April 1945 the Soviets ostensibly obliged, informing the Japanese that they did not wish to renew the treaty. This caused the Japanese considerable concern, but the Soviets went to great efforts to assure the Japanese that the treaty would still be in force for another twelve months, and that

2511-633: The Soviet Red Army, and was relegated to the Communist Force. Since several major coal mines in southern Manchuria were controlled by Kuomintang Forces, Hegang became one of the main coal-producing area of Communist Force in the Chinese Civil-War, playing an important role in guaranteeing the acquisition of weapons and other war materials. Hegang was renamed in 1949, and set up as a prefecture-level city in Heilongjiang. After 1949

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2592-895: The Soviet Union had no intention of acting as a third party in negotiating an end of the war on conditional terms. As agreed with the United Kingdom and the United States (Western Allies) at the Tehran Conference in November 1943 and the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the Soviet Union entered World War II's Pacific Theater within three months of the end of the war in Europe . The invasion began on 9 August 1945, exactly three months after

2673-500: The Soviet Union would enter the war against Japan once Germany was defeated. Stalin faced a dilemma: he wanted to avoid a war on two fronts at almost any cost, yet he also saw an opportunity to secure gains in the Far East on top of those he expected in Europe. The only way Stalin could ensure these gains without a two-front war would be for Germany to capitulate before Japan. Due to the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact,

2754-524: The Soviet advance. Nevertheless, the prospect of a quick defeat to the Japanese Army seemed far from clear. Given the fanatical and sometimes suicidal resistance put up by the Japanese forces similar in April–June 1945 Battle of Okinawa , there was every reason to believe that a long, difficult campaign for the capture of the last remaining Japanese fortified areas was expected. In some parts of

2835-522: The Soviet government would consider itself to be at war with Japan. At one minute past midnight Trans-Baikal time on 9 August 1945, the Soviets commenced their invasion simultaneously on three fronts to the east, west and north of Manchuria: Though the battle extended beyond the borders traditionally known as Manchuria —that is, the traditional lands of the Manchus —the coordinated and integrated invasions of Japan's northern territories has also been called

2916-522: The Soviet offensive these expectations were fulfilled. The Soviet pincer from the East crossed the Ussuri and advanced around Khanka Lake and attacked towards Suifenhe , and although Japanese defenders fought hard and provided strong resistance, the Soviets proved overwhelming. After a week of fighting, during which time Soviet forces had penetrated deep into Manchukuo, Japan's Emperor Hirohito recorded

2997-599: The Soviet pincer movement, attacking across the Inner Mongolian desert and over the Greater Khingan mountains. These forces had as their objectives firstly to secure Mukden (present day Shenyang ), then to meet troops of the 1st Far Eastern Front at the Changchun area in south central Manchuria, and in doing so finish the pincer movement . Amassing over one thousand tanks and self-propelled guns ,

3078-469: The Soviets continued to deliberately avoid providing one. The Potsdam Conference was held from 16 July to 2 August; on 24 July the Soviet Union recalled all its embassy staff and families from Japan. On 26 July the conference produced the Potsdam Declaration whereby Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Chiang Kai-shek demanded Japan's unconditional surrender. The Japanese avoided responding to

3159-510: The Soviets in the aftermath of World War II . In May 1995, Japan repurchased the films that were in the lost segment. Initially a Japanese company packaged the films in 30 episodes to be sold in Japan at 300,000 yen . The Chinese government lodged an official complaint about the legitimacy of the matter, since the government of the People's Republic of China claims copyright ownership of any of

3240-471: The Soviets made it official policy to intern Allied aircraft and crews who landed in Soviet territory following operations against Japan. However, the Soviets and Western Allies soon came to informal arrangements to circumvent official policy. Under the auspices of Lend Lease , the Allies officially transferred aircraft of the same types interred by the Soviets in the Far East, the mutual understanding being that

3321-469: The Soviets would also be able use "interned" Allied aircraft against the Germans without revealing their true origins. In return, Allied airmen held in the Soviet Union were usually transferred to camps near Iran or other Allied-controlled territory, from where they were typically allowed to "escape" after some period of time. Nevertheless, the Soviet buildup in the Far East steadily accelerated even before

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3402-491: The Towa Company to assist him in procuring the latest German movie cameras and production techniques. Amakasu also hosted notables from the Japanese film industry including movie stars, directors, and orchestral conductors such as Takashi Asahina . Although Amakasu was considered right-wing, he hired many left-wing and Communist sympathizers at a time when they were being purged from the Japanese film industry. Amakasu

3483-547: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Empire of Japan after almost six years of peace. Soviet gains on the continent were Manchukuo, Mengjiang (the northeast section of present-day Inner Mongolia ) and northern Korea . The Soviet entry into this theater of the war and the defeat of the Kwantung Army were significant factors in the Japanese government's decision to surrender unconditionally , as it became apparent that

3564-482: The annual mean is 3.8 °C (38.8 °F). Close to 2/3 of the annual precipitation falls in the months of June thru August. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −38.5 to 37.7 °C. The prefecture-level city of Hegang is divided into 6 districts and 2 counties . The information presented here uses the metric system and data from the 2010 Census. In 2010, Hegang's GDP grew 16.1% to RMB 25.1 billion, ranking tenth among 13 prefectures and prefecture-level cities in

3645-518: The city experienced further rapid growth. The mines were extended and modernized, and their annual output increased dramatically. Most of the coal is high-quality coking coal that is also used to make coal gas; apart from a small quantity consumed in Jiamusi, the bulk of it is shipped by rail to Anyang , Henan and to other industrial cities such as Anshan and Benxi in Liaoning . By the late 1950s

3726-484: The city. In September 2008, there was a fire at Fuhua Coal Mine, owned by Fuhua Mining Co., Ltd. It was caused by spontaneous combustion of coal. 31 miners died (19 deaths, 12 missing). In November 2009, there was a gas explosion at Xinxing coal mine , owned by Heilongjiang Longmay Mining Holding Group . Out of 528 workers, 420 miners were rescued and over 100 miners died. Of the 60 hospitalised survivors, they had broken bones, gas poisoning or respiratory injuries. By

3807-598: The coal industry employed more than 80 percent of the working population. Although the mines continued to be developed and output increased, Hegang's industrial activity was beginning to diversify, especially after a large thermal-power-generating installation was constructed by the early 1970s. By 2021 the city's mining industry was in decline. Hegang is located in the northeast part of Heilongjiang province, spanning from latitude 47° 04′−48° 9′ N to longitude 129° 40′−132° 31' E. Bordering prefecture-level cities are: The region also faces Russia's Jewish Autonomous Oblast across

3888-539: The company decided to utilize a new method, which combined familiar elements of life with an imperial ideology in order to reach a propagandistic goal. Man'ei established a film magazine entitled Manshū eiga ( 満州映画 ) , and its first publication was in December 1937, in Japanese and Chinese versions. These included serialized novelizations of Man'ei films and entertainment news. Manshū eiga also published film criticism, although domestic scholars always complained about

3969-641: The control of local communists after the Soviet withdrawal in 1946 in spite of a 1945 agreement signed between the Soviets and the Kuomintang . The control of these regions by communist governments backed by Soviet authorities would be a factor in the rise of the Chinese Communists and shape the political conflict of the Korean War . Hegang Hegang ( Chinese : 鹤岗 ; pinyin : Hègǎng , also known as Heli and Xingshan ),

4050-461: The declaration, instead continuing to wait on a clarifying Soviet reply. The Japanese had been monitoring Trans-Siberian Railway traffic and Soviet activity to the east of Manchuria. In conjunction with the delaying tactics, this suggested that the Soviets would not be ready to invade east Manchuria before the end of August. The Japanese did not have any concrete evidence as to when or where any invasion would occur. They had estimated that an attack

4131-530: The defeat of Germany. By early 1945 it had become apparent to the Japanese that the Soviets were preparing to invade Manchuria, though they correctly calculated that they were unlikely to attack prior to Germany's defeat. In addition to their problems in the Pacific, the Japanese realised the need to determine when and where a Soviet invasion would occur. At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Stalin secured Roosevelt's acceptance of Soviet expansion in

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4212-549: The double envelopment movement. As a secondary objective, the 1st Far Eastern Front was to prevent Japanese forces from escaping to Korea , and then invade the Korean Peninsula up to the 38th parallel , establishing in the process what later became North Korea . This secondary objective was to be carried out by the 25th Army . Meanwhile, the 35th Army was tasked with capturing the cities of Boli (or Poli), Linkou and Mishan . The 2nd Far Eastern Front, under General Maksim Purkayev , included: The 2nd Far Eastern Front

4293-417: The east; the 2nd Far Eastern Front was to attack the center of the pocket from the north. The only Soviet equivalent of a theater command that operated during the war (apart from the short-lived 1941 "Directions" in the west), Far East Command, consisted of three Red Army fronts . The Transbaikal Front, under Marshal Rodion Malinovsky , included: The Transbaikal Front was to form the western half of

4374-489: The end of 2019, Hegang had one full-time higher education school with 2,926 students and 915 graduates. There are 7 specialized secondary schools, with 5,629 students and 1,464 graduates. There are 50 general secondary schools, with 37,982 students and 14,886 graduates. There are 36 primary schools with 29,771 students and 4,427 graduates. There is 1 special education school with 191 students. There are 144 kindergartens, with 12,045 children in attendance. Hegang No.1 High School

4455-405: The formal courtly language in which the speech was composed, worsened the confusion. The Imperial Japanese Army Headquarters did not immediately communicate the cease-fire order to the Kwantung Army, and many elements of the army either did not understand it, or ignored it. Hence, pockets of fierce resistance from the Kwantung Army continued, and the Soviets continued their advance, largely avoiding

4536-463: The former works of Manchukuo, and the films were reproduced without China's consent. Japan agreed to give some works back as compensation. Some are preserved today in China's National Film Archives, others are preserved in the Changchun Film Studio. Soviet invasion of Manchuria Collapse of Japanese puppet states Axis : [REDACTED]   Japan Second Sino-Japanese War The Soviet invasion of Manchuria , formally known as

4617-453: The front instead of an army. The forces totaled 89 divisions with 1.5 million men, 3,704 tanks , 1,852 self propelled guns , 85,819 vehicles and 3,721 aircraft. Approximately one-third of its strength was in combat support and services. The Soviet plan incorporated all of the experience in maneuver warfare that they had acquired in fighting the Germans. The Kwantung Army of the Imperial Japanese Army , under General Otozo Yamada ,

4698-403: The goal of making Manchukuo a "Dream Land of Film Making". The company established relations with Japanese-controlled distribution networks and film studios. In 1939, Man'ei built a new studio with cutting-edge equipment; it also ran film schools from 1937 to 1944 which produced hundreds of alumni. The company’s size grew from employing 900 people in December 1940 to 1,800 by November 1944. Man'ei

4779-416: The largest and most technologically advanced film studio in Asia. Various features were made and released to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere . Modernization was the central theme of both educational and entertainment films. Although most of Man'ei's films were destroyed on the orders of the Japanese military, the American military managed to retrieve a number of them. They stored these documents in

4860-445: The late 1930s there were a number of Soviet-Japanese border incidents , the most significant being the Battle of Lake Khasan (Changkufeng Incident, July–August 1938) and the Battle of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan Incident, May–September 1939), which led to the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact of April 1941. The Neutrality Pact freed up forces from the border incidents and enabled the Soviets to concentrate on their war with Germany , and

4941-442: The majority of these puppet troops being of dubious quality. Korea, the next target for the Soviet Far East Command, was garrisoned by the Japanese Seventeenth Area Army . Including the Japanese forces in Korea, the Kwantung Army had over 900,000 men in 31 divisions and 13 brigades; there were about 400 obsolescent tanks and 2,000 aircraft (of the 1040 aircraft in Manchuria, only 230 were combat types and 55 were modern ). However,

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5022-428: The pockets of resistance, reaching Mukden, Changchun and Qiqihar by 20 August. The cease-fire order was eventually communicated to the Kwantung Army, but not before the Soviets had made most of their territorial gains. On the Soviet right flank, the Soviet- Mongolian Cavalry-Mechanized Group entered Inner Mongolia and quickly took Dolon Nur and Kalgan . The Emperor of Manchukuo (and former Emperor of China), Puyi ,

5103-418: The province. Agriculture and animal husbandry are considered two pillars of the city's primary industry. Heavy industry dominates the city's industrial sector. Other major industries in the city include agricultural products processing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, dairy and related products, forestry industries, and the production and supply of electricity. Two major mining accidents have occurred near

5184-430: The quality of Man'ei's production. However, Amakasu responded, "the films of [Man’ei] are primarily targeted at the uncultured masses... We must treat and educate them like children, and explain things to them slowly and in plain language." Man’ei is controversial in the history of Chinese cinema since its works are viewed in China as pro-Japanese propaganda . About half of the Association's film archives were lost to

5265-445: The region. In 1914, a coalfield was discovered in Haoli, and Heilongjiang Government approved to set up Xinghua Mines ( 興華煤礦 ) which is jointly invested by merchants including Shen Songnian ( 沈松年 ). The area was also renamed Xingshan ( 興山 ) after the Xinghua Coal Mine. The Hegang mines were founded in 1916 by a Chinese entrepreneur with Russian capital. Hegang has witnessed rapid economic growth thanks to its rich coal resources. In 1926

5346-400: The southern part of the peninsula. Later, on 8 September 1945, American forces landed at Incheon . The invasion of Manchuria was a factor that contributed to the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. In addition, the Soviet occupation of Manchuria , along with the northern portions of the Korean Peninsula, allowed for parts of those regions to be transferred by the Soviet Union into

5427-466: The tanks were early 1930s models such as the Type 95 Ha-Go and Type 89 I-Go , the anti-tank units only possessed Type 1 37 mm anti-tank guns that were ineffective against Soviet armor, and the infantry had very few machine-guns and no anti-materiel rifles or submachine guns. As a result, the Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea had essentially been reduced to a light-infantry counter-insurgency force with limited mobility and limited ability to fight

5508-404: The time of the Soviet invasion, the few remnants of its fleet were stationed and tasked for the defense of the Japanese home islands in the event of an invasion by American forces. Compounding their problems, the Japanese military made many wrong assumptions and major mistakes, most significantly: Due to the withdrawal of the Kwantung Army's elite forces for redeployment into the Pacific Theater,

5589-443: The war. Since Yalta, they had repeatedly tried to convince the Soviets to extend the Neutrality Pact, as well as attempting to enlist them to mediate peace negotiations with the Western Allies. The Soviets did nothing to discourage these overtures, instead happy to draw out the process for as long as possible whilst continuing to prepare their invasion forces. One of the goals of Admiral Baron Suzuki's cabinet upon taking office in April

5670-454: Was captured by the Red Army. On August 18, several Soviet amphibious landings were conducted ahead of the land advance: three landings in northern Korea , one landing in South Sakhalin , and one landing in the Kuril Islands . This meant that, in Korea at least, there were already Soviet soldiers waiting for the troops coming overland. In South Sakhalin and the Kurils, it meant a sudden establishment of Soviet sovereignty. The land advance

5751-415: Was deployed in a supporting attack role. Its objectives were the cities of Harbin and Qiqihar, and to prevent an orderly withdrawal to the south by the Japanese forces. The front also included the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade , composed of Chinese and Korean guerrillas of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army who had retreated into the USSR in the beginning of the 1940s. The unit, led by Zhou Baozhong ,

5832-709: Was established on August 14, 1937, as a national policy company ( 國策會社 , kokusaku kaisha ) which was a joint venture between the government of Manchukuo and the South Manchurian Railway Company . The original studios were located at a former wool goods factory, with the offices at the former Kitsurin Architectural Institute (吉林省建築設計院) in Kitsurin Province . Unlike Japan's film markets in Taiwan and Korea, Man'ei

5913-442: Was frequently critical and sometimes hostile to Japanese perceptions of Man'ei. As a result of a 1936 tour of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Amakasu was able to see visit the studios Universum Film AG (UFA) and Cinecittà . After taking up his post at Man’ei, Amakasu was determined to reform the studio's production system after UFA's in order to compete with both Hollywood and the Japanese film industry. This included using staff from

5994-465: Was not likely before the spring of 1946, but the Stavka had in fact been planning for a mid-August offensive, successfully concealing the buildup of a force of 90 divisions. Many Soviet units had crossed Siberia in their vehicles to avoid straining the rail link. The Japanese were caught completely by surprise upon receiving the Soviet declaration of war an hour before midnight on 8 August, now facing

6075-491: Was promoted as being a Japanese-run Chinese film studio from its start. Man'ei grew out of the Southern Manchurian Railway's Photographic Division, which was initially charged with producing industrial and educational films about Manchukuo for Japanese audiences. Promotional materials from the studios boasted that Man'ei had the most state-of-the art facilities in all of Asia at that time. Negishi Kan'ichi

6156-478: Was recruited from Nikkatsu 's Tamagawa Studios to oversee feature film productions. In 1939, Nobusuke Kishi enlisted Masahiko Amakasu , head of Manchukuo's Ministry of Civil Affairs, to replace Negishi. Amakasu effectively used his status as a film industry outsider, as well as his notoriety as the murderer of Osugi Sakae and family to maintain the Man'ei's independence from the mainland Japanese film industry. Amakasu

6237-431: Was set to participate in the invasion for use in sabotage and reconnaissance missions, but was considered too valuable to be sent into the battlefield. They were thus withheld from participating in combat and instead used for leadership and administrative positions for district offices and police stations in the liberated areas during the subsequent occupation . The Korean battalion of the brigade (including future leader of

6318-594: Was stopped a good distance short of the Yalu River , the start of the Korean Peninsula, when even aerial supply became unavailable. The forces already in Korea were able to establish control in the peninsula's northern area. In accordance with arrangements made earlier with the American government to divide the Korean Peninsula, Soviet forces stopped at the 38th parallel, leaving the Japanese still in control of

6399-622: Was the major part of the Japanese occupation forces in Manchuria and Korea, and consisted of two Area Armies and three independent armies: Each Area Army ( Homen Gun , the equivalent of a Western "army") had headquarters units and units attached directly to the Area Army, in addition to the field armies (the equivalent of a Western corps). In addition, the Japanese were assisted by the forces of their puppet states of Manchukuo and Mengjiang . Manchukuo had an army of about 170,000 to 200,000 troops, while Mengjiang had around 44,000 troops, with

6480-496: Was to form the eastern half of the pincer movement. This attack involved the 1st Red Banner Army , the 5th Army and the 10th Mechanized Corps striking towards Mudanjiang (or Mutanchiang). Once that city was captured, this force was to advance towards the cities of Jilin (or Kirin), Changchun and Harbin. Its final objective was to link up with the forces of the Transbaikal Front at Changchun and Jilin thus closing

6561-508: Was to try to secure any peace terms whatsoever short of unconditional surrender. In late June, they once again approached the Soviets, inviting them to mediate with the Western Allies in support of Japan, providing them with specific proposals. In exchange, they were prepared to offer the Soviets very attractive territorial concessions. Stalin ostensibly expressed interest, and the Japanese now awaited an official Soviet response, even as

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