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1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

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1943

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1945

Airmail

Manchukuo Airmail

Japan established an airmail service between Dairen and Japan in 1929 and in December 1931 the Japanese are reported to have set up a regular airmail service to Japan, flying from Mukden. The Chinese complained about this unauthorised service in a Memoranda sent by the Chinese Assessor to the Commission of Enquiry established by the League of Nations.

In October 1932 the Manchuria Air Transport Company (M.A.T.C.) was formed with support from the Government of Manchukuo, The South Manchuria Railway Company and the Sumitomo Company of Japan. M.A.T.C. enjoyed a monopoly as other companies were excluded from providing air transportation in Manchukuo.

When the service started it relied upon the Fokker Super-Universal, single engine, high wing, monoplane, this had been a workhorse of the Japanese mail service. These aircraft carried passengers together with freight and mail.

Above is a Japanese souvenir postcard celebrating the inauguration of the Japan-Manchukuo Airmail Service. The card carries a Japanese 1½ sen stamp, the domestic postage rate, with a special cancel designed to commemorate the service. The cancel which is from the post office at Osaka in Japan is dated 3rd November 1932, the date upon which the service started. The card also features a picture of the Fokker Super-Universal aircraft registration M104 used to provide the service. The card was supplied in a special envelope, to see that click here.

Dated 21st December 1934, the chop shows the Fokker Super-Universal M-106 above the Harbin Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Saint Sophia. This is typical of a First Flight cancel and is not listed by Zirkle, it may commemorate the First Airmail Flight from Harbin. Airmail was gradually rolled out across the country and not all major cities offered the service in the first year - 1932. Farquhar shows a copy of the airmail routes dated September 1934, this included Harbin, so perhaps the cancel is for some other event.

The card depicts the Manchukuo Monument at Harbin Station. This card may have been sold at Harbin station as a souvenir. 1½fen was the normal Domestic, China and Japan postcard rate in December 1934. To see the reverse of this postcard click here.

1936, 1937 and 1939 Airmail Issues

This issue, based upon the Fourth Regular Issue stamps of 1936 provided the first Manchukuo stamps designed specifically for airmail use. Up to this point ordinary stamps could be used for post sent by airmail. The first two values 18f and 38f were issued on Manchukuo from 5th December 1936. In 1937 due to a price increase two new values were issued, 19f and 39f.

The stamps were recess printed on watermarked (see below) "granite" paper in sheets of 100 by the Manchukuo Postal Administration Office, Hsinking. Designs by Mr Hirozo Oya.

The stamps are 18.5mm x 22.5mm. Perf 13 x 13½.  Four Designs....

The 18f and 19f show the an aircraft flying above a shepherd
The 38f, and 39f show an aircraft flying over the Sungari River railway bridge.

10,000 copies of the original 1937, 39f stamp were issued, not nearly enough considering that it could also be used for general mail purposes. In 1939 the 39f was re-printed using the same plates ink and paper, the only visible difference being the gum which is whitish, thin and grainy on the first issue and yellowish, thick and shiny on the second. Used stamps without gum are indistinguishable unless they show a readable date in the postmark. It is possible that there were further unrecorded issues of this stamp making any positive identification of the first issue doubtful.

19f issued 16th April 1937

 39f issued 14th Sept 1937

July 1939 Re-issue

3rd November 1932

Sample Registration Receipt stamped with the airmail cachet and the inauguration of Air Mail service commemorative cancellation, Harbin Post Office. The item measures 190mm x 45mm and is on thin paper similar to newsprint.

This is an early JATC brochure with some information about routes, methods and pricing. The full contents can be seen here. (My thanks to Edgard Pockelé in Belgium for sending me this scan.)