Outbreak of WWII in Asia Pacific Flashcards
How did internal economic problems cause Japan’s aggression?
Internally, Japan faced many problems with insufficient arable land as the country was 70% mountainous. Thus, with limited resources, Japan needed to look overseas for land and resources to survive, which made the Japanese people more willing to support militaristic ambitions overseas. Areas like Manchuria started to seem very attractive to Japan as they could not only claim land and resources, but also to establish an overseas market. Another economic pressure on Japan at the start of the 1900s was overpopulation where Japan had a growing population of up to 70 million people. Again, land and resources overseas was required for survival.
How did internal political problems cause Japan’s aggression?
The public was generally disappointed with their government as they are often seen as corrupt, taking bribes from Zabatsus, which are big money conglomerates such as Mitsubishi and Toyota. Within the Japanese society, there was also the existence of patriotic societies such as the Black Dragon Society and the Cherry Blossom Society, which constantly promoted an aggressive foreign policy. The military became so powerful that they assassinated the democratic Prime Minister Inukai and were not even punished appropriately. Japan’s desire to be regarded as an equal power by the Europeans paved the way for Japan wanting to build an empire just as the Europeans had. Their success in annexing Korea, Taiwan and Manchuria encouraged the military to continue further conquests and they looked towards Southeast Asia. Japan was encouraged to establish a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere to ensure an Asia for Asians. Southeast Asian countries became critical to Japan for their resources such as oil from Indonesia and rubber from Malaya.
How did the failure of the LON lead to Japan’s aggression?
Japan’s ambition to be considered on equal status as the European powers and the fact that Japan fought on the side of the Allies meant that they wanted to be seen as an equal and called for the LON and for the PPC to grant an equality clause. This was, however, refused by the European powers. Japan continues to feel slighted by the European powers in conferences such as the Washington Naval Conference where they were forced to disarm to a ratio of 3:5 despite being an ally. The LON also failed in preventing Japan’s aggressive actions by being unable to enforce its decision on Japan in the Manchurian Incident in 1931. Despite the findings of the Lytton Report, the LON could do nothing but condemn Japan’s aggression, to which, Japan responded by leaving the LON. It served to prove how ineffective the LON was and instead of preventing war, it allowed Japan to grow in confidence and power. The LON also failed to provide aid to China in the 2nd Sino-Japanese War also known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937 when Japan authorised a full-scale invasion of China. The LON and the international community only began to pay attention to what was going on in the Asia Pacific when news of the Japanese atrocities like that of the Nanjing Massacre came to light.
How did the threat of USA lead to Japan’s aggression?
Japan’s conflict with China in the 1st Sino-Japanese War in 1894 and then the imposition of the 21 Demands which effectively made China a colony of Japan. This was very much opposed by the USA who started to see Japan as a bully and laid the foundation for the Washington Naval Conference which would limit Japan’s naval capabilities. Japanese aggression was further fueled by the Great Depression in 1929. During this period, the Japanese silk industries were hit very hard, and many Japanese lost their jobs. This was mostly because the USA had practiced protectionism to safeguard their own economy and taxed foreign goods instead. This was made worse with a drought that hit the Japanese farmlands. In addition, Japan started to see USA as being racist through the implantation of immigration laws such as the Californian Alien Law in the USA. Furthermore, when the USA sanctioned a trade embargo on Japan in 1940, cutting off the supply of oil, Japan took this as yet another slight and the fact that USA had expanded into Philippines and Hawaii was also a cause of concern for Japan as they felt USA was attempting to expand into Asia.
How did the war in Europe cause Japan’s aggression?
The war in Europe also encouraged Japan to continue its expansion as the European powers were too preoccupied with the war in Europe and were also war-weary whilst fighting the Germans. Thus, the colonies in South-East Asia were left vulnerable to Japan’s ambitions.
Describe the reasons why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
On 7th December 1941, Japan took a calculated risk and attacked Pearl Harbor. They had many reasons for doing so as firstly, the changes in American foreign policy had made Japan feel marginalized and threatened. Embargoes, discrimination and belittling Japan made the relationship between the USA and Japan deteriorated over the years. On top of that, the threat posed by the Pacific Fleet led to Japan hoping to catch the US fleets off guard and take control of the sea and air in the Asia Pacific, making USA unable to defend SEA. Japanese politicians felt they were left with a Hobson’s Choice and could not afford to back down. Not only did USA’s embargo affect them adversely, but they were also a threat to Japanese aims in the SEA. Japan felt it was faced with a choice of backing down and risking humiliation and destruction or retaliating by attacking the USA.
What did Japan achieve after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
The attack on Pearl Harbor, however, did not really achieve much for Japan. Japan did manage to buy some time for her to further her conquest in Asia and this did allow her to conquer most of Southeast Asia but in the long run, this attack invited USA into the war. An isolationist USA was still split on whether to join in WWII up till 1941 but this attack strengthened the American government’s resolve to fight in the war. Given the technology and military capacity of USA and the fact that they have fresh troops that can be poured into the war, the attack on Pearl Harbor proved to be disastrous for Japan. Furthermore, most of the Pacific Fleet which were the main targets Japan was going after at Pearl Harbor, were not even present at Pearl Harbor at the point of attack, rendering the attack pretty much useless. In the end, only 8 battleships were hit.
How did the overextension of the Japanese empire lead to Japan’s defeat?
As the Japanese empire was both a maritime and land empire, it proved difficult to protect. Merchant ships were constantly intercepted by Allied fleets and Japan soon realized they had overextended, having fewer resources and equipment. Thus, Japan soon lost the initial advantage it had over the Allies, which recovered quickly from the initial Japanese attacks. Additionally, a large empire also meant that a huge number of Japanese soldiers had to be used to administer the conquered territories, instead of fighting at the war front.
How did the use of Kamikaze fighters lead to Japan’s defeat?
Kamikaze fighters, who at first scared the Allied forces and led to them suffering heavy casualties as they tried to gain control of Japanese islands one by one, soon proved to be a mistake. With more Kamikaze fighters sacrificing themselves, pilots and planes were lost faster than they could be replaced.
How did the push for role of traditional women lead to Japan’s defeat?
Very unlike the USA, the Japanese encouraged the domestic role of women and only encouraged them to join the workforce in the later part of the war, all of which was much too late. These millions of willing American workers proved to be more productive than the slave labour used by the Japanese. Hence, while the USA encouraged women to work, Japan did just the opposite.
How did the entry of the USA lead to Japan’s defeat?
USA contributed significantly to the defeat of Japan. The use of women to replace the men who went to participate in the war, greatly boosted the advantage USA has over Japan. There was huge support for this war at home for USA as they stood the moral high ground, and many people bought war bonds to support the American government. Also, Women changed consumer habits so that more could be diverted to the war effort. The American military took part in a series of battles that would eventually lead to the defeat of Japan such as the Battle of Midway and the Battle of Coral Sea and these battles took away some things that Japan found hard to replace such as experienced commanders as well as battle ships. These battles although saw a military defeat of the USA was actually a tactical victory for them as many Japanese battleships were destroyed and they were unable to replace nor rebuild them as USA was able to. As USA entered the war as the largest industrial power and thus were able to quickly switch its industries over to producing war equipment. Additionally, USA was much stronger than Japan militarily, and was able to defend the Atlantic Route against the Axis Powers, attacking oilfields and factories, thus adversely affecting Japan’s economy, war effort and supplying resources for their troops. Furthermore, the Doolittle Raid laid siege to Tokyo which boosted the morale of the Americans and showed the Japanese, who had thought their homeland was out of range for America, that they were not invulnerable to American attacks. Lastly, American technology, notably the atomic bomb also led to the conclusion of the war earlier for the Allies.
How did the war in Europe lead to Japan’s defeat?
Italy had capitulated to the Allies in 1943 and with the Allied invasion at Normandy Beach (D-Day Landings) and eventual invasion of Germany (Battle of Berlin), Germany was defeated in May 1945. This meant that Japan had lost its last ally and as Japan’s already limited resources, overextension of empire and constant battering from USA’s successful island hopping, Japan was alone in facing the Allies. Therefore, with the lack of allies, scarce resources, fighting a prolonged war, Japan could not hope to continue. However, the Allies demanded for unconditional surrender, but Japan refused, hoping to negotiate for peace terms.
How did the use of atomic bombs lead to Japan’s defeat?
Allied scientists had been working on the bomb since 1942 and was the crucial factor accounting for Japan’s defeat. As, WWII in the Asia Pacific had become increasingly violent and it was clear through Japan’s kamikaze fighters and cultural norms that they were going to fight to the last man. Hence, the Allies decided that the use of the atomic bomb would be able to bring a quick end to the war and prevent further losses and casualties. Additionally, the USA also wanted to use the atomic bomb to intimidate the Soviets as they were still very much divided over ideological differences Hence, the first bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima in which when Japan refused to give its unconditional surrender, the second bomb, Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki and it was with this that the Emperor finally announced Japan’s unconditional surrender.
