Research On Japenese Economic Groups In Qiqihar During The Puppet State Of Manchukuo

After the Russo-Japanese War,Japan forced the Qing government to sign the“Conference Agreement on Matters Concerning the Three Eastern Provinces” and the protocols,which turned Qiqihar into a port for business.With the opening of Qiqihar as a port for trading,more and more Japanese merchants poured in Qiqihar,and the number of commercial sites had also seen a level rise.After the Incident of September18,1931,the number of Japanese in Qiqihar who engaged in business and industry increased sharply.Thus,it greatly promoted the development of local Japanese business and industry.In order to enhance communities among Japanese business and industry operators and further conduct economic surveys and business activities,Qiqihar Japanese merchants and industrialists organized an economic organization-the Chamber of Commerce in January 1934,with the support of the local Japanese consulate.In January 1935,it was reorganized into a business association.On November 30 of the same year,the business association and civil engineering associations were merged and formed into the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.On February 28,1938,the Puppet Qiqihar Chamber of Commerce and the Qiqihar Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry merged into the Qiqihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.According to the regulations and activities,the Qiqihar Japanese economic group is not a purely non-governmental economic organization,but enjoy a “half-official,half-citizen” feature.As an important Japanese economic organization in northeastern China,the Qiqihar Japanese Economic Group is mainly engaged in activities such as collecting economic information,responding to Japanese government inquiries and petitioning the Japanese government.These activities,on the one hand,could provide information on the economic and trade activities for Japanese business operators at both home and board,thereby assisting the Japanese economic expansion;on the other hand,the information collected and corresponding consultations,suggestions,petitions for Japanese government all would play an important role when the Japanese government formulated and implemented the control policy in Qiqihar.