The purpose of this paper is to clarify the Hunchun Incident, which was the starting point for the dispatch of Japanese Troops to Yanbian in 1920. Three issues will be addressed in focusing on the formation of the Japanese society in Hunchun.
First, the Japanese society in Hunchun started with a few Japanese prostitutes after the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese people in Hunchun, who were contolled by the Japanese consulate, organized local military personnel against anti- Japanese movements such as the March13 and May 4 movements, and so on.
The Hunchun incident in 1920 caused a lot of human and material damage including the death of Japanese women and girls. The Japanese in Hunchun continued to petition the Japanese government for compensation for their damages, but the diplomatic negotiations between Japan and China were difficult.
Second, socio-economic relations between Yanbian and North Korea became closer during the 1910s, while the trade between Hunchun and Ungi, the port town in North Korea, also was increasing.
Thirdly, after the invasion by Japanese troops in 1920, the Japanese residents in Hunchun regarded Hunchun as a Japanese colony. Their economic and commercial activities hindered their normal social development in Hunchun. During the early 1920s, the Chinese boycott movement against Japanese products also became active in Hunchun. Chinese people in Hunchun had the perspective of praising the Korean independence activists such as An Jung-geun and Huang Byong-gil.