Outbreak of WWII in Asia-Pacific

Outbreak of WWII in
the Asia-Pacific

Background
 Meiji Restoration of 1868
 Japanese military rises in power
 Japanese Emperor becomes the symbolic icon of Japanese pride
 Historical and cultural legacies
 Highly valued the samurai code (bushido)
 Weakness and surrender were seen as dishonourable

Big Question
To what extent was Japan
forced to wage war?

Japan’s ambitions (1)
What were Japan’s ambitions?
 Establish equality with the modern Western powers
 Create an empire similar to the Western empires
Japan’s attitude towards war and international relations
was shaped by how the different world powers
interacted with Japan as it pursued these two aims.
China Britain Russia America

Conflicts with China
 Japan wanted to take advantage of China’s weaknesses and
political instability
 Seized control of Taiwan and Korea from China in the First
Sino-Japanese War
 Issued the Twenty-One Demands in 1915 that forced China
to give in to Japanese interests
Encouraged Japan
to expand further into China

Alliance with Britain
 Britain was willing to cooperate with Japan
 Signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902
 Britain recognised Japanese influence in Korea
 Britain and Japan agreed that China was a place of ‘common
interest’
Gave legitimacy
to Japan’s colonial ambitions

Conflict with Russia
 Russia wanted to establish military bases in Manchuria
 This threatened Japanese forces in Korea (see p.168)
 Japan wanted to negotiate a compromise... but Russia refused!
 Japan declared war on Russia in 1905 and won! (Russo-
Japanese War)
 First time that an Asian power had beaten a Western power
Gave Japan confidence that
they could defeat the Western powers

Worsening relations with the USA
 America enforced racist policies against the Japanese such as
the Japanese and Korean Exclusion League in 1905
 Japan proposed the inclusion of racial equality into the League
of Nations... but this was rejected by the USA and other
Western powers!
 Washington Naval Conference forced Japan to reduce its
naval power more than America and Britain (see p.173)
Japan felt disrespected by the Western powers

Japan’s ambitions (Summary)
Key turning points
1. Victory against Russia & the Anglo-Japanese alliance
encouraged Japanese ambitions
2. China’s weakness gave Japan the opportunity to expand
3. America’s racial policies antagonised Japan

Crises* in Japan (1)
Overpopulation
 Insufficient land and resources to provide for its population
 Needed more territories to provide space and resources for its
growing population
 Rapid increase in population + shortage of agricultural land = not
enough rice 
Japan desired to conquer more territories to provide
living space & food for its population
*1 crisis, many crises

Crises in Japan (2)
Economic crisis
 The Great Depression also caused countries around the world to
practice protectionism (heavy taxes on imported goods so
that their own goods will sell better)
 Japan struggled to sell their main export, silk, to other countries
 The Japanese economy started to struggle and decline
Japan needed more resources and larger markets
to strengthen its economy
* Countries practising protectionism put heavy taxes on imported foreign goods so that their
own goods will sell better

Crises in Japan (3)
Rising military influence
 Strong Japanese traditions of bushido and support for the
samurai class led to large support for the Japanese military
 The assassination of the Japanese Prime Minister Inukai
triggered martial law (govt run by the army) in Japan
Japan’s government was now controlled by the
military, who were aggressive and wanted to go to
war

Crises in Japan (Summary)
Key turning points
1. Overpopulation & economic crises forced Japan to find
solutions to its problems
2. Rising military influence made Japan pursue a policy of
expansion to solve its problems

Japanese expansionist
foreign policy (1)
Why did Japan need to expand?
 Japan had limited resources and needed to buy resources
like oil from America
 The Great Depression caused many countries to stop selling
goods to Japan
 Strong military government in Japan also wanted to build a
powerful empire to make the country equal to the European
powers
Japan saw expansionism and foreign conquest as
a valid solution to its problems

Japanese expansionist
foreign policy (2)
How did Japan expand?
 Japan invaded…
 Korea (cotton and wool; to defend Japan)
 Taiwan (sugar)
 Manchuria (minerals and wheat; to defend Korea)
 Southeast Asia (rubber and oil)
 Created the idea of a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
 To liberate Southeast Asia from European control; ‘Asia for Asians’
 But it was a façade for Japanese expansionism
Japan wanted to create an empire that would give it
the resources and glory it wanted

Weakness of the League of Nations (1)
The Mukden incident and
the invasion of Manchuria (1931-32)
 Japan wanted to control Manchuria for its resources and
strategic importance
 The Mukden incident (p.177) was used as an excuse for
Japan to invade and control Manchuria
 The League of Nations condemned Japan… but Japan walked
out of the LON!!!
 The LON was unable to force Japan to leave Manchuria
Japan could freely declare war
without the League’s interference

Weakness of the League of Nations (2)
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)
 Tensions between China & Japan were already high due to the
invasion of Manchuria
 The Marco Polo Bridge incident (p.179) triggered the full-
scale invasion of China by Japanese forces
 The LON and the Western powers were too distracted by
Hitler to take any action against Japan
Japan successfully invaded China without
external interference

Weakness of the League of Nations
(Summary)
Key points:
 Japan took advantage of the weakness of the LON
 LON was did not have the power or authority to stop
Japan’s expansionist foreign policy

World Developments in the 1930s (1)
Outbreak of war in Europe
 Hitler’s aggression in Europe triggered war in 1939
 Britain and France focused their forces in Europe, leaving their
Southeast-Asian colonies unprotected
 Japan saw an ideal opportunity to invade Southeast Asia
Gave Japan the confidence that they could
invade the European colonies in Southeast
Asia

Changes in American foreign policy
 America was supposed to be isolationist
 Japan expected America to ignore their invasion of China
 However, America decided to ‘quarantine’ aggressor nations
like Japan for invading
 They also:
 Provided military aid to China
 Cancelled the 1911 commercial treaty with Japan in 1939 (reduced
trade with Japan)
 Placed a trade embargo on Japan after 1940 (cancelled export of steel
and fuel to Japan, which Japan needed for its war efforts)
Created further anger towards the USA

Japan’s Response: Attack on Pearl Harbor
 American trade restrictions weakened Japan considerably
 Military leaders in Japan demanded for an aggressive
response
 Japan launched a surprise attack on the American fleet in
Pearl Harbor
 On the same day, they bombed the Philippines, Malaya and
Singapore
But...why Pearl Harbor?

Japan’s Response: Attack on Pearl Harbor
 Revenge for America’s trade embargo
 The fleet at Pearl Harbor was prepared to defend Southeast
Asia against Japanese invasion
 The Japanese hoped to strike a quick ‘knockout blow’ against
the USA
Attacking Pearl Harbor would help Japan to
expand its empire without fear
AND
get revenge against America

Outbreak of WWII in Asia-Pacific

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