Former Site of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office

Former Site of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office

The Former Site of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office is a cultural relic protection unit of Liaoning Province.

In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, the 39th year of the Meiji era in Japan, on September 1, 1906, the Kwantung Governor-General's Office was established in Lüshun. Its former site is located at No. 59 Youhao Road, Lüshunkou District. The former Kwantung Governor-General, Ōshima Yoshimasa (Japanese: おおしまよしまさ), was appointed as the Governor-General of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office, with the responsibility to "oversee the administration of the Kwantung Leased Territory and protect and manage affairs related to the South Manchuria Railway." When handling diplomatic affairs, the Governor-General was supervised by the Minister for Foreign Affairs; when dealing with military and political matters, by the Minister of War; and when addressing operational and military education issues, by the Chief of the General Staff and the Inspector General of Military Training, respectively. As a result, after the establishment of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office, conflicts frequently arose between the Governor-General, who held both military and political power, and various related departments such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, due to struggles over authority.

After the establishment of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office, the Kwantung Leased Territory High Court and District Courts were created under the Kwantung Governor-General's Office in accordance with the "Kwantung Governor-General's Office Law." The Kwantung Governor-General's Office was divided into two departments: the Army Department and the Civil Administration Department. The Army Department commanded Japanese troops stationed throughout the Northeast, while the Civil Administration Department managed all administrative affairs within the jurisdiction of the Kwantung Governor-General's Office except for military matters. The Civil Administration Department oversaw three civil administration offices in Dalian, Jinzhou, and Lüshun, with the heads of these offices serving as local administrative chiefs. Due to the large size of the Jinzhou administrative area, the Jinzhou Civil Administration Office was further divided into two branch offices in Pulandian and Pizigou. In October 1908, the Jinzhou Civil Administration Office was downgraded to a branch office under the Dalian Civil Administration Office. The Pulandian and Pizigou branch offices were also downgraded to outposts under the Jinzhou branch office.