Manchuria

European name for the northeastern region of China, comprising the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. It was united with China by the Manchu dynasty in 1644, but as the Chinese Empire declined, Japan and Russia were rivals for its control.

The Russians were expelled after the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05, and in 1932 Japan consolidated its position by creating a puppet state, Manchukuo, nominally led by the Chinese pretender to the throne Henry P'u-i. At the end of World War II the Soviets occupied Manchuria in a two-week operation in August 1945. Japanese settlers were expelled when the region was returned to Chinese control.