00:00 The Mukden incident marked the beginning of the road to the Second World War, as it involved an invasion by Japan under false pretenses.

01:42 Japan sought to expand its territory in the region of Manchuria, which was nominally part of the Republic of China but mostly controlled by warlords who did the bidding of the Japanese, and after the Russo-Japanese War, Japan gained control of the southernmost branch of the Chinese eastern railway, allowing them to exercise extraterritorial rights in the South Manchuria Railway Zone.

03:11 The Japanese stationed military units along the South Manchuria Railway due to the terms of the Treaty of Portsmouth, and in 1915, they presented the 21 Demands to the Republic of China, which expanded Japanese influence in China and resulted in the Sino-Japanese Treaty.

04:39 In 1931, the Japanese wanted full control over Manchuria but needed a pretense for war, so a group of Japanese officers carried out a false flag operation to give Japan the excuse they needed to start a war.

06:00 The Japanese carried out a failed bombing in Mukden, but used it as an opportunity to open fire on a Chinese military garrison and quickly take control of cities along the railway.

07:20 The Japanese conquest of Manchuria was completed within six months, resulting in the renaming of the region to Manchukou, the installation of a puppet ruler, and the occupation of Manchuria for the next 14 years, during which it became the site of some of the worst atrocities of World War II.

08:44 The host addresses a listener's feedback about their dislike for the host's criticism of five-cylinder engines.