Causes of WW2 in Asia Pacific

Question 1

What are the causes of ww2 in Asia pacific

Answer 1

1. Japan’s foreign policy aims between 1931 and 1941.
2. Japan’s military aggressions
3. Poor relations between Japan and the West

Question 2

What happened between the 1930s to WW2

Answer 2

1930: Japan began its EXPANSIONIST POLICY due to lack of land for growing population and lack of resources.

1931: Japanese troupe moved to Manchuria

1937: Japan moved further into China and started the ‘Sino-Japanese war’

• To finance its war efforts in China, Japan turned to Southeast Asia for resources. That however brought Japan into conflict with the USA. The US Pacific fleet was stationed at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.
• To prevent the USA from hindering Japan’s campaign in Southeast Asia, Japan bombed Pearl Harbour on 2 December 1941. This sparked off the war in the Asia-Pacific.

Question 3

what were the reasons for Japan’s foreign policy

Answer 3

1. To build an empire
2. To free asians from western control ( fear of colonisation )

3.The “Greater East Asia Co-prosperity sphere”

4.Find room for Japan’s growing population

5. To control resources

Question 4

To build an empire in the Asia Pacific Region ( Japan’s foreign policy )

Answer 4

• Japan was the leading power in Asia.
• It wanted to expand into areas that belonged to Russia and China to build up its own empire.
• The Navy, like the Army, called for expansion into British Malaya, French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies.
• By the 1930s, Japan had expanded to include Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and the Pacific Isles.

Question 5

To free Asians from Western control - Fear of colonisation ( Japan’s foreign policy )

Answer 5

• Japan felt that Asia should be freed from Western control.
• Japan perceived that they had to be a strong power to withstand the Western power.
• As Japan was the strongest military power in Asia, the Japanese felt they would have to lead the fight to end Western imperialism. The Japanese took it upon themselves to be the leaders of Asia.
• This made war in the Asia-Pacific likely because Japan would have to wage war against colonial powers to create a ‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’.

Question 6

The ‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’

Answer 6

• This included countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, China and India.
• Japan wanted these countries to be part of its empire.
• These countries had oil, tin and rubber which were important resources for Japan to be self-sufficient.
• These countries would also serve as markets for Japanese goods.
• Japan used the term ‘Co-Prosperity’, to get Asians to believe that all the countries in the sphere would benefit economically through this arrangement.

Question 7

To find room for Japan’s growing population ( Japan’s foreign policy )

Answer 7

• Japan’s population grew from 30 million in 1870 to 70 million by 1937.
• Rapid increase in population created the problem of food shortage. Hence Japan had to import food.
• Protectionism from other countries would threaten Japan’s survival. Import staples.
• The growing population also needed space.
• Japan is a mountainous country and hence lacked living space for the increase in population.
• The military proposed overseas expansion promising that it will provide more land for housing and to grow crops.

Question 8

To control resources ( Japan’s foreign policy )

Answer 8

• The Great Depression affected Japan’s economy badly.
• Its industries needed cheap suppliers of natural resources and markets to sell their goods.
• Furthermore, Japan could not sell its goods to other countries because of protectionism.
• Japanese export fell by 2/3 due to protectionism.
• Japan’s leaders looked to Manchuria as a solution for the country’s economic problems.

Question 9

To control resources: what Manchuria can provide? ( Japan’s foreign policy )

Answer 9

• cheap manpower
• raw materials like coal, timber, iron, soya beans, grain and gold
• an overseas market for Japanese goods

Japan made use of captive markets – Korea, Manchukuo and Taiwan to offset their difficulties.

Question 10

Japan’s military expansion in the pacific

Answer 10

1910: Japan invaded Korea. It became a Japanese colony

1919: Japan gained control of the Liaodong Peninsula a reward for supporting Britain and France in WW1

1931: Japan invaded China, starting The First Sino-Japanese War. It took over Manchuria

1933: The Chinese Northern Province of Jehol was invaded and the Hopei region was demilitarised

1937: Marco Polo Bridge incident. Second Sina-Japanese War started

1938: Most of Northeast and Eastern China under Japanese control

1941: Japan attacked US naval base at Pearl Harbour

Question 11

The attack of Pearl Harbour ( Japan’s military aggression)

Answer 11

• Yamamoto was the mastermind behind the Pearl Harbor Attack on that fateful day, December 7th 1941.
• The infamous attack is engraved in the collective mind of Americans, and frankly large parts of the world.
• It directly led to the United States’ involvement in the bloodiest conflict the world has ever seen.

Question 12

Poor relations- Western bias
made Japan feel more hostile
toward the West

Answer 12

• Japan’s relations with the USA were poor because many Japanese felt that the West was biased against Japan.
• The terms of the Washington Naval Conference contributed partly to this.
  * The Conference aimed to reduce naval forces of major naval powers.
  *The ratio of warships that were allowed for Japan was lower than that of the USA and Britain. (5:5:3)

  *Many Japanese felt that this was an unfair treaty aiming at restricting Japanese power.

• Japanese nationalists felt that the West wanted to prevent Japan from expanding into the Asia-Pacific region.
• On December 1934, Japan announced it would no longer follow the terms of the Treaty.
• This made war likely because this gave Japan the leeway to increase the size of its armed forces, in turn threatening the peace in the Asia-Pacific region.