World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDing Jianxiu was born in Gaiping County (now Gaizhou city), Fentian Province in northeastern Qing Dynasty China. He graduated from the Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan with a degree in economics. After returning to China, he worked for the Qing Dynasty government in the ministry responsible for communications, postal service, and transportation. Returning to Fentian Province, he worked as an instructor at several institutions of learning. In 1913, after the establishment of the Republic of China, he became a Japanese language instructor and translator at the Fentian provincial government. In 1915, he became a diplomat with the Fentian provincial government. He subsequently became the head of foreign affairs for the military of northeastern China, advisor to the governor of Fentian, an executive for a Sino-Japanese joint venture iron ore prospecting firm, and an executive with a coal-iron mining company. In 1928, when warlord Zhang Zuolin was assassinated, he served on an emergency government committee which maintained stability in the immediate days after the assassination. In Sep 1931, following the Mukden Incident in which Japan began to encroach on Chinese sovereignty, Ding sided with Japan and was immediately awarded with a position that oversaw transportation. In Mar 1932, he became the Director of the Transportation Department of the puppet state of Manchukuo. In Mar 1933, he took on a concurrent role in the Manchukuo legislature for the drafting of the puppet state's constitution. In Mar 1934, the Transportation Department was promoted to the status of a cabinet level ministry, with Ding remaining at the helm. In May 1935, he was the Minister of Industry. He retired from government service in May 1937, but he would return as a special advisor to the senate in May 1940. In Apr 1941, he was a member of the committee planning the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Manchukuo. In Dec 1942, he was made a member of the committee charged with the construction of the National Shrine. He passed away from illness in Nov 1944.

ww2dbaseDing was known as Tei Kanshu in Japanese records, which was the Japanese pronunciation of his Chinese name.

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