Economy of Manchukuo - Industry

Industry

Prior to Japanese intervention, the sole industry was the Mukden Arsenal, property of Chang Hsueh-liang (son of Chang Tso-Lin), the Manchu Dictator. The colonial government organized and implemented two five-year plans during the 1930s (reminiscent of Soviet Five-Year Plans) with the aid of Naoki Hoshino. Industrial development had as a primary goal supplying raw material and finished products for the Japanese military.

The first industrial centers in Manchukuo were in the Mukden–Dairen area . Industrial centers were in Anshan, Shakakon, Dairen, Ryojun, Fushun, Fusin, and other cities. Manchukuo used the Chosen ports of Yuki, Seishin and Rashin for the Japan sea area.

Products included aircraft, automobiles and trucks, blankets, boots, bread and flour, bricks, candies and foods, carpets, raw cellulose, cement, dyes and inks, electrical devices, fabric, farm equipment, glass, industrial paint, industrial paper, liquor and beer, locomotive manufacturing and repair and related railway industries, milk and cheese, mining equipment, munitions processed leather products, rubber articles, soy and other processed foods, vegetable oil, hand and heavy weapons, etc.

Some measures of Manchu industrial production (1932–35):

• Coal production: 15 million metric tonnes of coke coal
• Cement Production: 10% of Japanese Cement production
• Steel Production: 450,000 metric tonnes
• 500,000 spindles and accompanying fabric factories annually produced 25,000 tonnes of cotton fabrics.

After deposing the Japanese, the Soviet Union sent plant and equipment to the Soviet Far East and Siberia valued at 858,000,000 U.S. dollars. They took only the most modern industrial equipment, laboratories, hospitals, etc., destroying older machines. They took electric power plants, mining equipment, machine tools, and other items.

Residential and commercial construction increased during the Japanese period.