The place, called Manchuria, was the place of the Manchus, including the kings of the Qing dynasty. In 1931, Japan occupied Manchuria after the Mukden Incident. A pro-Japanese government was created one year later with Puyi, the last Qing emperor, as the nominal regent and later emperor. Manchukuo's government was removed in 1945 at the end of World War II. The Soviet Union invaded in August 1945, and formally transferred the territory to Chinese administration in the following year. Although the territories came under the jurisdiction of the Nationalist government, the brief Soviet occupation helped make the region into a base for the Chinese Communist troops led by Mao Zedong. The People's Liberation Army got Japanese equipment and a strategic advantage against the National Revolutionary Army led by Chiang Kai-shek.