Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, March 14 – 20, 1940

March 14, 1940: Japanese troops dig in north of Macao, triggering fears that the Portuguese colony may be cut off from supplies from the mainland

March 15, 1940: Japanese and Soviet troops reportedly clash on Sakhalin

March 16, 1940: Japan plans to send former Prime Minister Abe Nobuyuki to inauguration of Wang Jingwei, leader of new collaborationist government in China

March 17, 1940: Mexico sends trade mission to Japan to discuss exchange sale of oil, potentially alleviating Japan’s desperate need for energy to continue war in China

March 18, 1940: Wang Jingwei, pro-Japanese Chinese politician, criticizes the United States for aiding Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek in his war with Japan

March 19, 1940: A total of 150,000 tons of supplies meant for China are piling up in Haiphong harbor in Indochina, unable to reach their destination due to Japanese blockade

March 20, 1940: French officials in Indochina struggling to prevent neutral agents from purchasing essential raw materials on behalf of Germany

Categories: War

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