The Daur Republic (Japanese: ダウール民国 - Daūru-min-koku; Russian: Даурская Республика - Daurskaya Respublika), better known as Daurukuo (ダウール国 - Daūru-koku; Дауро́у-го - Daurou-go) and Dauria (Даурия - Dauriya), is a nation which occupies the far eastern portion of northern Asia. The region was first formed in 1920 as a pro-Soviet state that acted as a buffer between the Communist Russia and Japan. The pro-Russian state was later occupied by the Japanese in the late 1930s. Today, Daurukuo is part of the Japanese sphere and a member of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Daurukuo has strong relations with Manchukuo and Japan, but has begun to show greater Russian cooperation in recent years.