1928 →Kwantung Army - assassinated Zhang → attempt to replace him with a new and more co-operative leader.
- Since Zhang was perceived as an ally of the Japanese → Kwantung army thought it could blame the assassination on the ongoing rivalries among Chinese warlords → and force the Japanese government to let them take over Manchuria.
However - emperor Criticized the Kwantung Army’s actions and demanded that the prime minister discipline them.
- without real authority over Japanese military → PM was unable to force the military leaders to punish those who were responsible for the assassination.
- this incident revealed how emperor failed to control the military.
- also showed that military could defy the civilian govt.
- Political Challenges in Japan’s government