thumb|200px|大连满铁总部

'''南滿洲鐵道株式會社'''（，简称满铁。英文名字 South Manchuria Railways Co.， 简称SMR）日本为了经营中国东北夺得的路权而成立的鐵路運輸公司。

==创立==
日俄战争后，中國東北被日本占领，原來由沙俄修建的中东铁路长春至旅顺段被转让给日本，改称为'''南满铁路'''。为管理鐵道，1906年6月7日，以天皇的名义发布第142号饬令，公布了《南满洲铁道株式会社成立之件》，11月26日在东京正式成立南满洲铁道株式会社，资本金2亿日元，首任总裁为后藤新平男爵。1907年，会社总部从东京迁往大連。

==经营范围==
thumb|满铁新京驿

南滿洲鐵道株式會社曾被称为「日本在中国的东印度公司」，即以公司的名义实行殖民经略。因此满铁也被称为「殖民会社」。除了拥有铁路之外，还在铁路两侧拥有16.7米至3000米不等的'''满铁附属地'''，附属地总面积达482.9平方公里。

南满洲铁道株式会社成立之後，積極開拓原來中國東北的交通服務。一方面，該公司把其经营的鐵路延伸，修建了安奉铁路、抚顺铁路、牛庄铁路等支线，從奉天向東延，直達中、朝邊境的丹東，將朝鮮半島與西伯利亞的铁路系统連接起來。另一方面，公司亦成立了滿洲航空会社，承辦從滿洲到朝鮮半島的空運服務。满铁还拥有大连商港。

除了铁道、水运、航空等交通运输业务之外，满铁还经营矿业、冶金、电气、农林畜牧、文化、教育、旅游等业务，拥有鞍山制铁所（昭和制钢所，现为四平街、安东、凤凰城、本溪湖等，1936年时面积在1平方千米以上的共计29处
）的市政管理。随着会社经营范围的扩大，1920年满铁第一次增资至4.4亿日元，1933年第二次增资至8亿日元，1940年第三次增资至14亿日元。

thumb|Express train on South Manchuria Railway
thumb|Locomotive for ''Asia'' Express
thumb|upright||Advertisement in 1937
thumb|SMR HQ in Dalian
thumb|Dining car of South Manchuria Railway
The  was a company founded in the Empire of Japan in 1906, after the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.

==History==
Following the Japanese victory over Imperial Russia and the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth, the South Manchuria branch (from Changchun to Lüshun) of the China Far East Railway was transferred to Japanese control. A new, semi-privately-held company was established with a capitalization of 200 million yen to operate the railroad and to develop settlements and industries along its route. <ref>Young, Japan's Total Empire, pp 25</ref> The organizing committee was headed by General Kodama Gentarō, and after his death, by General Terauchi Masatake. Count Gotō Shimpei, formerly Japanese governor of Taiwan, was appointed the first president, and the headquarters of the company was established in Dairen.By the end of 1907, the company employed 9000 Japanese and 4000 Chinese. By 1910, those numbers had increased to 35,000 and 25,000 respectively. <ref> Coox, Nomonhan pp.6 </ref> Until 1925, the company also operated the Korean railway system.

''Mantetsu'' quickly expanded the system inherited from Russia to staggering proportions, building coal mines at Fushun and Yantai, and harbor facilities at Andong, Yingkou, and Dalian. At each station, ''Mantetsu'' built hotels for travelers and warehouses for goods. Japanese settlers were encouraged through the construction of schools, libraries, hospitals and public utilities.  The ''Mantetsu'' Research Wing was the centerpiece of Japan's colonial program, and instigated agricultural research into development of soybean farming. Land under cultivation expanded 70% in 20 years. <ref> Coox, Nomonhan pp.21 </ref>

From 1916, ''Mantestu'' began to spin off a number of subsidiary companies, including Showa Steel Works, Dalian Ceramics, Dalian Oil & Fat, South Manchurian Glass, as well as flour mills, sugar mills, electrical power plants, shale oil plants and chemical plants. <ref>Young, Japan’s Total Empire, pp32</ref>

Company assets rose from 163 million yen in 1908 to over a billion yen in 1930. ''Mantetsu'' was by far the largest corporation in Japan, and also its most profitable, averaging rates of return from 25-45 percent per year. <ref> Coox, Nomonhan pp.21 </ref> During the 1920s, Mantetsu provided for over a quarter of the Japanese government's tax revenues. <ref>Young, Japan's Total Empire, pp 31-32</ref>

Over 75% of ''Mantetsu's'' income was generated by its freight business, with the key to profitability coming from soybean exports, both to Japan proper and to Europe. Soybean production increased exponentially with increasing demand for soy oil, and for soy meal for use in fertilizer and animal feed. By 1927, half of the world's supply of soybean was from Manchuria and the efforts by ''Mantetsu'' to expand production and to ship to export ports was a classic example of an extractive colonial economy dependent on a single product. <ref>Young, Japan's Total Empire, pp 31-32</ref>

The South Manchuria Railway was also charged with a government-like role in managing the rail transportation system after the formation of totalitarian national leadership. <ref>Young, Japan’s Total Empire, pp.250</ref>

In 1934, ''Mantetsu'' inaugurated the “Asia Express”, a high speed train from Dalian to the Manchukuo capital of Hsinking. Reaching a top speed of , the "Asia Express" was the fastest scheduled train in the world at the time.