31 - Imperial Japan pt. 2 - Manchukuo and the Black Dragon Society

Today's introducing one of my new fixations - Manchuria, basically in every era, and the South Manchurian Railway Company, which Imperial Japan eventually leveraged into propping up a puppet ethnostate - Manchukuo. To accomplish this, they used another secret society, the Black Dragon Society, which carried out more false flag attacks to provoke casus belli and intervention. Along the way, we bring in the Earl of Lytton (yes, the same Lytton) and introduce Colonel Kenji Doihara and Yoshiko Kawashima (future episodes on Kawashima coming).  Then we discuss the curious case of "leftism" in Manchukuo, as well as tenko, a Japanese form of brainwashing which was carried out there. We also discuss the looting of Manchuria and its sudden rise as a main grower and producer of opium. Mitsui was heavily involved in the drug trade in Manchuria, and Nissan engaged in slave labor there as well. To round it out, we discuss the Cotton Connection, which was one of the main sources of narcotics coming into the US in the 1930s and 1940s - the network ran through Japanese-Americans and virtually all of it came from Manchuria; they also worked with the US mafia. Finally, we mention Yoshio Kodama, who will come up in many of the episodes to come, as well as biological weapons research, which will later, too. Episode art: 1935 Manchukuo propaganda poster which says “With the help of Japan, China, and Manchukuo, the world can be in peace.” Songs: "Move That Dope" by Future Manchukuo national anthem