Battle of Qingshanli The Battle of Qingshanli was fought over six days in October 1920 between the Imperial Japanese Army and Korean armed groups in a densely - wooded region of eastern Manchuria called Qīngshānlǐ ( , ) . It occurred during the campaign of the Japanese army in Jiandao , during Japanese rule of Korea ( 1910 – 1945 ) . Background . After the March 1st Movement of 1919 by Koreans calling for liberation from Japanese occupation , some Korean activists formed an independence army . The Japanese government asked China to subdue them but got no substantive result . On October 2 , 1920 , independence forces raided Hun - ch ' un and killed 13 Japanese including the commissioner of the consulate police . In response , Japan decided to send troops to eastern Manchuria . Japan immediately held talks with China , and on October 16 received permission for military action in eastern Jilin from the governor of Jilin . Status of the battles . The Japanese forces who joined the expedition were that of the 19th Division of the Army , the 28th Brigade of the 19th Division , which was on its way back to Japan , and two units from the 11th and 13th Divisions who had been sent to Vladivostok . Among them , only the 19th Division of the Army launched an actual military operation and the rest just held a lockdown and a demonstration . The 19th Division was deployed in Hunchun ( Isobayashi Detachment ) , Wangqing ( Kimura Detachment ) and Yanji - Helong ( Azuma Detachment ) . The Isobayashi and Kimura detachments engaged in no major combat . From October 21 to 23 , the Northern military administration office army ( Hangul : 북로군정서군 , Hanja : 北路軍政署軍 ) led by Kim Jwa - jin lured some of Japanese soldiers and attacked them in Baiyunping ( 白雲坪 ) , Quanshuiping ( 泉水坪 ) and Wanlougou ( 完樓溝 ) . Although the Korean force was small and used guerilla warfare , they were victorious . The Japanese force , who were defeated by the Korean Independent Army , appealed for help to the Azuma Detachment . They were rushed in for the relief of the remnants to fight against the Korean Independence Army . The Azuma Detachment engaged in combat with the Korean Independence Army from October 23 . The Northern military administration office army united Korea independent army led by Hong Beom - do in the struggle against Japanese force . The Korean troops had the Japanese Azuma Detachment at a disadvantage , and the two forces plunged into the final battle in the Yulang town ( 漁郎村 ) . The Korean army claimed to have killed 1 , 200 Japanese soldiers , and wounded thousands of others on October 26 . As a result , the Japanese retreated from the area of operation . Controversies . Hun - ch ' un massacre . South Korea views the Hun - ch ' un Incident as a deception by Japan , who they believe used it as an excuse to despatch troops . According to Korean sources , the Japanese army bribed a bandit leader named Ch ' ang - chiang - hao and made him attack Hun - ch ' un . The Japanese victims were incidentally attacked by bandits who were enticed to the raid by Ch ' ang - chiang - hao and were not under his control . Casualties of the Japanese army . Japan ese sources claim 11 dead and 24 wounded , and no officer casualties . These numbers are repeated by the list of the dead of the Yasukuni Shrine . Japanese investigation of weapons of the 19th Division after the expedition claims that the Japanese army consumed little . The only Japanese soldier Korean sources name was " Regimental Commander Kanō . " " " The Bloody History of the Korean Independence Movement " " states that a secret paper by a Japanese consul reported Regimental Commander Kanō ' s death , although Japan has not revealed such a report so far . Japan claims the only man corresponding to " Regimental Commander Kanō " was Colonel Nobuteru Kanō , who served as commander of the 27th regiment , and that his name cannot be found in the casualty list , but is said to have led the regiment until 1922 . Moreover , two months after the Battle of Qingshanli , the regiment commanded by Colonel Kanō captured one Korean . This event is recorded in a secret telegraph from the Japanese consulate in Qingshanli on November 13 , 1920 . On the contrary , South Korean s refer to this battle as the " great victory at Cheongsalli " and consider it a victory of the Independence Army . For the casualties of the Japanese army , " Chosun Doknip Undongji Hyulsa " by Bak Inseok ( 1920 ) states " 900 - 1 , 600 including Regimental Commander Kanō , " " Daehan Minguk jeongdangsa " compiled by the National Election Commission ( 1964 ) " over 1 , 000 , " " Hanguk jeonjaengsa " by the Military History Compilation Committee of the Ministry of National Defense ( 1967 ) " 3 , 300 dead and wounded , " and " Hanguk Minjok Undongsa " by Jo Jihun ( 1975 ) " 3 , 300 including Regimental Commander Kanō . "