While diplomats and soldiers carve out empires, civilians play a crucial role in building nationstates. Constructing Empire shows how planners, architects, and civilians contributed to constructing a modern colonial enclave in the Japanese puppet state of Manchuria. Before 1931, Japanese imperialism in Manchuria resembled that of other imperialists elsewhere in China, but beginning in 1932 the Japanese sought to surpass their rivals by transforming the northeastern city of Changchun into a grand capital for the new state of Manchukuo. This book sheds light on colonial attitudes, changing definitions of national identity, and the responsibilities that civilians bear for historical events.