Zhang Zuolin

• Born: 1875
• Died: 1928
• Japanese: 張作霖 (Zhang Zuolin)

Zhang Zuolin was a regional Chinese warlord who controlled much of Manchuria in the early 20th century, and who was supported by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Zhang was assassinated in June 1928 by a group of Japanese Army officers who felt he was not cooperative enough, and who hoped that the assassination would lead to more direct Japanese control over more of Manchuria. Instead, Zhang's less pro-Japanese son came to power in the region, and the Japanese were forced to officially recognize Nationalist (Kuomintang, or KMT) authority in the region.

References

• Conrad Schirokauer, David Lurie, and Suzanne Gay, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 210-212.