The Kwantung Army was a branch of the Imperial Japanese Army. After the invasion of the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931, the Kwantung Army was stationed in the puppet state of Manchukuo. The headquarters of Kwantung Army Intelligence was set up in Hsinking. (PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang)
The Kwantung Army kept the Manchurian peasants in line through frequent acts of brutality. They forced them to built the biological research and prison facility, Zhong Ma Fortress, and subsequently subjected them to human experimentation and biological weapons development. Any peasants which tried to escape were shot on site. In 1933, the Seventh Doctor and Edward Grainger were nearly among the Kwantung Army's victims during their mission to rescue Mai Ling. (PROSE: Log 384)
In July 1937, the Pacific War was sparked by a confrontation between Chinese and Japanese troops at Marco Polo Bridge. After the Japanese Twelfth Army pushed south from Manchukuo into Shangdong province, they halted their advance as immediate Japanese priorities turned to allowing the Kwantung Army to further consolidate Manchuria. (PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang)