Japan’s ambitions and revisionist aims in the Asia-Pacific Flashcards
what did Japan, like Germany, wanted to challenge during the interwar period?
Japan, like Germany, wanted to challenge the status quo during the interwar period
Was Japan a victor at the Paris Peace Conference?
Japan was one of the victors at the Paris Peace Conference
How did Japan feel about the result of the settlement in Paris?
It was unhappy about the results of the settlement
How did Japan leave Paris?
Japan left Paris resentful that counties such as Australia and the US still had racist immigration policies
At the conference, what was Japan denied access to that it had hoped to gain?
Japan had also been denied access to some German Pacific colonies that it had hoped to gain
How many factors are especially important when explaining Japan’s ambitions and revisionist aims at this time?
2
What was the first factor?
The Japanese had a longstanding view of themselves as special - as chosen people, superior to others in the Asian region. From the time that Japan had been forced to open itself to trade and conduct with the West when an American fleet under Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853, Japan had resented its treatment at the hands of the Western powers.
What was the second factor?
Japan had a growing population and limited resources. During the 1920s and 30s, Japan set about acquiring territories to provide raw materials and food for its people.
When had Korea been undercontrol by Japan?
since 1905
By the 1930s, what did Japan look to do with Manchuria?
By the 1930s Japan looked to add Manchuria in north-eastern China to the territories that would help with Japanese resource needs
Why was Japan interested in Manchuria?
Manchuria was rich in iron ore and coal, and also had land to help grow the food needed by Japan’s expanding population
When did Japan begin a war of conquest against China?
In 1937 → Japan began a war of conquest against China
What has Japan beginning a war of conquest against China in 1937 led to?
This has led some historians to use 1937 as the starting date for the Second World War in the Pacific, rather than 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
