Bonjour,
Il semble que l'initiative directe soit venue de deux officiers, le Colonel Seishiro Itagaki et le Lieutenant-Colonel Kenji Ishiwara du régiment Shimamoto. Quant à la réalité de l'implication du cabinet japonais, je ne saurais trancher la question
.
Ce qui est certain, c'est que l'armée japonaise du Kwantung était parfaitement préparée pour procéder très rapidement à l'invasion de la Mandchourie et que sa réaction a été fulgurante et parfaitement disproportionnée à l'ampleur de l'incident.
Voici un extrait significatif du rapport de la commission Lytton sur cet incident (en anglais seulement, désolé):
"Tense feeling undoubtedly existed between the Japanese and Chinese military forces. The Japanese, as was explained to the Commission in evidence had a carefully prepared plan to meet the case of possible hostilities between themselves and the Chinese. On the night of September 18th-19th, this plan was put into operation with swiftness and precision. The Chinese, in accordance with the instructions referred to on page 69, had no plan of attacking the Japanese troops, or of endangering the lives or properties of Japanese nationals at this particular time or place. They made no concerted or authorized attack on the Japanese forces and were surprised by the Japanese attack and subsequent operations. An explosion undoubtedly occurred on or near the railroad between 10 and 10-30 p.m. on September 18th, but the damage, if any, to the railroad did not in fact prevent the punctual arrival of the south-bound train from Changchun, and was not in itself sufficient to justify military action. The military operations of the Japanese troops during this night, which have been described above, cannot be regarded as measures of legitimate self-defense. In saying this, the Commission does not exclude the hypothesis that the officers on the spot may have thought they were acting in self-defense."
Cordialement
V.B