What was the role of Changchun during the Japanese-controlled state of Manchukuo?

Following the Japanese seizure of Manchuria in 1931, the military commanders of the Japanese Kwantung Army designated Changchun as the capital of their puppet state, Manchukuo, in 1932.1

Renamed Xinjing (or Hsinking), meaning "New Capital," the city served as the administrative, political, and cultural center of the state. To reflect its new status, the Japanese oversaw the construction of a spacious city featuring broad streets and numerous open spaces, and they established a national university there in 1938.1

While other cities in the region, such as Harbin and Mukden, were designated as hubs for industrial development, Xinjing was primarily intended to function as an administrative capital, with only limited light industry permitted within its borders. Despite this focus, the city experienced a phenomenal rate of growth during the period of Japanese control, which lasted until the end of World War II in 1945.12