Qingdao Japanese Nationals And Their Political Activities (1914-1937) Of

The immigration aggression is one of the most important ways of Japanese invasion to china in modern times. Qingdao, as a severely-victimized area in the war initiated by Japan, is simultaneously the center of Japanese immigrants in China. A detailed research into Qingdao's Japanese immigrants at that time will help enrich the study of the history of the Japanese aggression in Qingdao and even in the whole district of Shandong. Nevertheless, at present, little can be found of the research into the Japanese immigrants' political activities in Qingdao in our national history circle regardless of some research from the aspect of economy. Therefore, to some extent, the work done here has filled in the blank in this field.In this thesis, using the knowledge of statistics and textual criticism study, the author has made a textual research into the population and the occupations of Japanese immigrants in Qingdao. Based on the data collected, the author tries to outline the developing routine of Qingdao's Japanese immigrants from 1914 to 1937 and analyze the reasons for the changes of the population. Along with the combination of the case studies and the overall research, political, sociological and textual criticism study knowledge are also applied to give the readers a profound idea of the political communities and activities of Qingdao's Japanese immigrants as well as its influence in history.The first part of this thesis covers an introduction to the population of Qingdao's Japanese immigrants and the occupations they were engaged in. The Japanese immigration agression to Qingdao dates back to the occupation of Qingdao by Germany. In 1914, Japan seized Qingdao and declared its open to Japanese citizens. From then on, large quantities of Japanese immigrants flooded into the city, and two climaxes of Japanese immigration emerged in 1915 and 1919. After the return of Qingdao to China in 1922, the population of Japanese immigrants reduced greatly due to the fact that many of then went back to Japanalong with the Japanese military. The population of Japanese immigrants regained its stability in May, 1924. In the following years, there were about 10,000 of Japanese immigrants in Qingdao. The influence of Japanese immigrants on Qingdao's economy started from German's occupation of Qingdao as well. From 1915 to 1922, the occupations taken up by Japanese immigrants involved all aspects of Qingdao's politics, economy and social life. Prominently, Japanese immigrants enjoyed a superior status in political and economic fields. After the year 1922, the varieties of the occupations Japanese immigrants were engaged in had a reduction in number, but their dominant position in Qingdao's political life was maintained continuously until Japan's second colonization in Qingdao.In order to guarantee the superiorities in economy and even pursue more political rights and interests, Japanese immigrants also got involved in massive political activities in the form of Japanese immigrants' communities. Thus, the second part of this thesis turns to an introduction to the Residential Commonalty, the Township Serviceman Branch, the National Elite's Branch, the Youth League, and the National Defense Women's Society Branch. Readers will form in mind a clear picture of the dates when these organizations were founded, their constitutions, the components of their members, their objectives and uttermost their particular roles in the political activities Qingdao's Japanese immigrants got involved in.The third part pertains to a description of the political activities Qingdao's Japanese immigrants got involved in. In addition, based on the previous work, the author has made a further study on the influences of such activities on Qingdao, Shandong and even Japan itself.Qingdao's Japanese immigrants' political activities during Japan's first colonization over this city mainly centered on Washington Conference and the sequential negotiations on Shandong issues held in Beijing from late 1921 to late 1922. hi order to guarantee their superiorities in politics and economy, meetingson the countermeasures towards the current issues and possible solutions were held frequently among Qingdao's Japanese immigrants. Telegrams were also sent to the Japanese representatives who attended the two conferences, the Japanese authority and its ambassadors in China. Moreover, the representatives elected by local Japanese immigrants went to Tokyo asking for permission and support from the Japanese authority face to face. In addition, they delivered abundant speeches individually in the media proposing solutions to the negotiations and Shandong issues as well as interpreting their attitudes. Owing to their active intervention, the progress of Washington Conference was greatly affected;some Japanese police stations were illegally set up in Qingdao in the name of protecting the Japanese citizens;many municipal administrative superiorities were gained with the help of the Japanese government.The period of Beiyang government(1923-1928): Initially, soon after the return of Qingdao to China, Japanese hardliners stirred up trouble in Qingdao, for they were unwilling to give up the previous superiorities. Thanks to the mass protests of the local police and citizens, the Qingdao authority strengthened investigations into such cases, and as a result, the excessive activities of those Japanese hardliners were restrained. Later, from 1927 to 1928, the political issues in Shandong changed greatly. The Japanese government dispatched troops into Qingdao openly in the name of protecting its citizens there. Taking advantage of the power and influence of Japanese army, the Japanese immigrants once again became overbearing. They not only beat the local Chinese policemen arbitrarily, but also interfered the authoritative affairs of the Qingdao government.The period of Nanjing government (1929-1937): Along with the upgrading of the Japanese invasion to China, the militarism complex inside those Japanese immigrants also formicated and developed rapidly. Responding to the Japanese invasion of China actively, those hardliners instigated their brethrens. to sow dragon's teeth and make disturbances in Qingdao with the purpose of initiating disputes on the issue of Qingdao and therefore creating a seemingly reasonableexcuse for Japan's taking possession of this city. Of course, these activities were done with the help of those Japanese communities. Ganging up with Japan's domestic militarists and the counterfeit Manzhou Dynasty in Northeast China, the members of the National Elite's Qingdao Branch sought to make disturbances and even plot rebellions in Qingdao. They attempted to make the occupation of Qingdao by Japan an accomplished fact. Meanwhile, the Japanese immigrants became the faithful supporters of Japan's invasion to China policy. They held various activities to show their worship to the Japanese emperor and memory of the so-called sacrificed militarists. Besides, they donated goods and materials to Japanese military and went to the front to condole the Japanese soldiers. During this period, the political activities the Japanese immigrants were engaged in became a severe threat to the stability and of Qingdao. The residents of Qingdao were in a state of anxiety all day long. And the Qingdao authority rushed off its feet with the solutions to the troubles made by those Japanese immigrants. In one word, the Japanese immigrants had become the cause of the instability of Qingdao. Whereas their repeated failure, they finally reached an agreement on transferring their harassing actions to those inland cities of Shandong. They began to investigate the topography and situation of the people in the cities and towns along Jiaozhou-Jinan Railway, which can be regarded as a preparation for Japan's invasion to Shandong. The political activities of these Japanese immigrants can be seen as the performance of Japan's invasion to China policy. These activities cooperated with the aggression of the Japanese military closely, and therefore became an undivided part of the Japan's invasion to China strategy.