Manchukuo

Manchukuo, otherwise known as the State of Manchukuo or Japanese China (Nihon no Chūgoku), is a puppet nation of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria. It was established in 1929, decreed by Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi as the official presence of Japan in China, and it is recognised by the likes of the United Kingdom and the Council of Allies as the most suitable contender to unify the region. After making a deal with the Japanese, Zhang Zuolin was appointed its first military generalissimo and Prime Minister, with promise that Zhang would eventually become leader of a newly unified China.

With the ongoing wars of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, it is highly likely that in the near future, Manchukuo may take the reins and join the fight in reuniting China once and for all. With Zhang's militarism and the potential rise of his son, Zhang Xueliang, China may eventually amount to a new military government; one where Japan reigns supreme, or where Puyi may return, a puppet of Hirohito.

Japanese Influence
With the Japanese expanding into China largely unrestrained, due to the lack of international prestige and policing by the United States, the destabilising Chinese region had given the Japanese the perfect excuse to occupy Manchuria. The Japanese took it swiftly and without competition, with the backing of the Council of Allies. It was decreed in the Council that the action was a move to 'invest Council interests in China through Japan, a common ally'.

The Chinese government viewed this with contempt, and their lack of ability to respond (amongst other things) resulted in a split between the KMT and the CPC. With the Chinese Civil War eventually kicking off in 1925, Japan's influence spread further until the entire region of Manchuria had been occupied. No plans to establish a new China in Manchuria had yet been laid out, but the Japanese government, especially under the guidance of the new Emperor Hirohito, began drawing up plans to restore stability in the region.

Zhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin, for the most part, had been content with the arrival of the Japanese in Manchuria, believing them to be a possible weapon against his main rival, Chiang Kai-shek. Specifically, the Japanese had allowed Zhang to continue operating in Manchuria in exchange for protecting Japanese vested interests in the region, of which Zhang agreed to do. His loyalty, for the most part, was credited due to the Japanese agreement to protect the last Chinese emperor, Puyi, from the conflict.

Zhang's conflicts and skirmishes against Chiang resulted in a retreat for Beijing back to Manchuria in 1928. Rather than resist the Japanese control, Zhang was desperate and pled to the Emperor himself to intervene in China. Shortly after, the Prime Minister, Tanaka Giichi, went to speak at the Council of Allies in the December 1928 summit in Brussels, announcing Japan's intentions to form a puppet state in the region.

With the Chinese Civil War looking like the Council's vested interests could be at stake, Tanaka's proposition was widely favoured, and the Council largely voted in the motion, with the agreement to recognise Manchukuo as a legitimate contender for Chinese reunification.

Manchukuo
The next year, Emperor Hirohito made the announcement that Manchukuo would become a legitimate state in China. Tanaka orchestrated a deal with Zhang Zuolin, offering him the position of Prime Minister and generalissimo of the region, in exchange for absolute loyalty to the Japanese Empire. Zhang, already desperate but lusting for power, agreed. He took the reins as leader and his son, Zhang Xueliang, enlisted as a Chinese leader in the Japanese military.

The Council of Allies recognised Manchukuo's legitimacy shortly after. Since then, the Japanese have been building its military and infrastructure in the region, with the new Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō, and his main rival Inukai Tsuyoshi, both largely in agreement that Japan will likely oversee Manchuria intervening in the Civil War, with Japanese and Council interests at heart.

Way Forward
Manchukuo will very likely see itself in the war against the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, but under which leadership can be negotiated. Here are the two most likely routes:

Direct Rule from Tokyo
Hirohito remains the official Head of State of Manchukuo, and eventually (if successful) as Head of State of a unified Japanese China. Either Zhang Zuolin or his son Zhang Xueliang become Prime Minister of China.

Qing Restoration
Manchuria is granted some form of autonomy by Japan, with the establishment of Puyi as a puppet-emperor. Puyi can then choose whether to rule absolutely or constitutionally, with a new Prime Minister or maintaining the loyalty of the Zhangs.

The Ultimate Merger
It is clear that the Communist Party of China is the biggest threat, and there is no point battering the Nationalists. If we can convince Chiang Kai-shek to unite the Kuomintang and Manchukuo into one superior democratic state, then we may have a better chance of taking on the Communists.