The Road to War in the Pacific

What is an Expansionist Power?

• A state that takes over countries & keeps extending territory whenever & wherever it can.
• Imperialism - the policy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions

The revamped Japanese military was hungry for more action

Japanese Imperialism before 1930

• 1^st Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) – Gained Formosa or Taiwan
• Russo – Japanese War (1905) – Gained Port Arthur in Manchuria, S. Sakhalin & Liaotung
• 1910 – Annexed Korea
• 1919 – Gained Shantung Peninsula from WW I settlement

Korea as the “dagger pointing to the heart of Japan”

Japan’s Foreign Policy Aims

• To build an empire in the Asia – Pacific
• To free Asians from western control
• To find room for Japan’s growing population
• To control resources & raw materials

By the 1930s, the Japanese military was one of the most advanced in the world & was ready for action

Building an Empire in the Pacific

• Japan wanted to become the leading power in the Asia Pacific region
• To do this, it needed to build an empire

Japan was casting glances over territories in the Far East.

To “Liberate” Asia

• Most of SE Asia under western colonial control
• Japan initiated propaganda to “liberate” them
• “Asia for Asians” – Asians should stand up against western imperialism
• “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” – Resources should be for the benefit of Asia, not westerners.
• Japan as the leader of Asia, should lead the fight against western colonial powers.

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A propaganda poster on Asian cooperation

Colonialism in South East Asia

Find Room for Population

• Population in 1870: 30 million
• Population in 1930: 70 million
• Japan could no longer find living space & food for its exploding population
• Needed to resettle its population elsewhere

Tokyo in the early 1900s. Japan was fast becoming over-crowded

Japan’s Population

Control Natural Resources

• The Great Depression made it hard for Japan to import resources & export its goods
• Overseas territories would provide resources & give Japan a market to sell its goods.
• Manchuria was a prime target:
• Cheap abundant manpower
• Raw materials like coal, timber, iron, grain & gold
• An overseas market

Where in the world is Manchuria?

Manchuria was extremely rich in natural resources which Japan coveted. Only problem: it belonged to China

Mukden Incident, 1931

• A bomb exploded on the S. Manchurian Railway track in Mukden which was owned by Japan
• The Japanese army accused the Chinese government of sabotage.
• Events shrouded with controversy

The scene of the railway “sabotage”

Kwantung Army Acts

• In retaliation, the Kwantung Army stationed in Manchuria attacks Chinese positions
• It’s excuse was to “defend Japanese interests” in the region
• Manchuria is soon captured
• They established the state of Manchukuo with the last Qing emperor, Pu Yi, installed as its puppet ruler

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Kwantung Army marches into Manchurian cities

Henry Pu Yi, The last Emperor of China

Japanese Govt Powerless

• Kwantung army acted independently of Japanese Government
• Prime Minister Ki Inukai protested against the invasion, but was powerless to do anything

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Inukai’s opposition to the Kwantung Army would cost him dearly.

League of Nation’s Response (or lack of)

• Convened the Lytton commission to Manchuria to investigate
• Commission declared Manchurian invasion illegal & that Japan should withdraw immediately
• Japan did withdraw… but from the League Of Nations in 1932
• League Of Nations took no further action & Japan was convinced the west was too weak to prevent its expansionist ambitions

League of Nation’s Response (or lack of)

• West were too busy recovering from Great Depression to care about Manchuria
• League Of Nations also had no army to force Japan to do anything

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Newspaper article on the Mukden Incident

Fascists Unite!

• Anti – Comintern Pact (1936)
• Nazi Germany & Japan pledge to fight communism
• However, Japan was concerned with the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in 1939.
• Tripartite Pact (1940)
• Italy, Germany & Japan become allies

Axis representatives signing the Tripartite Agreement.

Why did War break out in the Pacific?

• Japan’s desire to conquer China
• Japan’s neutrality with the Soviets
• Europeans more worried about Hitler
• Worsening relations with the U.S.
• Appointment of Hideki Tojo as Prime Minister.

Japan’s Desire to Conquer China

• Historically, Japan had always been China’s tributary.
• Wanted to assert its dominance over China once and for all.
• Wanted access to China’s rich port cities & resources
• China was also weak, having civil war.
• Zaibatsus were also pushing for war to gain assess to lucrative Chinese markets, industries & resources

China in Turmoil

The Chinese were too busy fighting among themselves than to worry about the Japanese threat. Left: Mao Zedong leads the Chinese Communist Party while Chiang Kai shek on the right leads the Nationalists.

Marco Polo Bridge Incident – 7^th July 1937

• A misunderstanding led to an exchange of fire between both sides at Marco Polo Bridge.
• Japan demanded that Chinese troops withdraw but the latter refused.
• Became a full-scale invasion of China
• The Pacific War had begun

Chinese troops engage Japanese forces at Marco Polo bridge

Neutrality with Soviets

• Japan initially coveted Soviet lands as well.
• However they were defeated in battles at Changkufeng & Nomonhan.
• Sued for peace & signed neutrality pact with Soviets in 1941 to concentrate on China

The Imperial Japanese Army took a beating at Nomonhan by the Soviets.

European pre-occupation with Hitler

• Hitler had been re-arming Germany since the mid 1930s
• Britain, France & Holland were more concerned about defending their own countries.
• Could spare little resources to defend South East Asian colonies.

The west obviously gave priority to Europe rather than Asia. This would come back to bite them later.

General Tojo Becomes PM

• With the appointment of a general as Prime Minister, it was obvious that Japan would pursue an aggressive foreign policy stance
• Tojo, a former Kwantung Army commander, believed war with the U.S. could not be avoided.

General (later PM) Hideki Tojo – 1884 – 1948

Worsening Relations with the U.S.

• U.S. declared Chinese invasion illegal.
• Placed trade embargo on oil, steel & scrap iron to Japan.
• Forced Japan to look at South East Asia for for resources.
• American “mercenary” fighters – Flying Tigers aid China’s Nationalist Government.
• Despite this, both sides were keen to avoid war & had last ditch talks
• However, Japan refused American demands to withdraw from China & talks broke down.

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American Pacific Fleet

• U.S. had a powerful fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• This posed a huge obstacle to Japanese advance into South East Asia.
• The solution was obvious…..

American President Franklin Roosevelt pushed for a tough stance on Japanese aggression in the Pacific.

Japan vs. China

• After Marco Polo. bridge, Japan’s forces pour into China
• However, realized China was too huge for Japan to conquer.
• Had to settle for China’s rich coastal cities like Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai etc...
• Japanese rule was extremely brutal

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Japan’s forces march into Nanjing, the capital of the Nationalist govt.

Rape of Nanjing

• Wanton looting, murder & rape by Japanese army
• Casualties ranged from 100,000 – 300,000
• Even infants & elderly women were not spared rape
• Japanese textbooks today play down the Nanjing Massacre, a source of contention between Japan & China.

These 2 Japanese Officers had a contest to see who can collect 100 Chinese heads first

Sons were forced to rape their mothers, fathers were forced to rape daughters. One pregnant woman who was gang-raped by Japanese soldiers gave birth only a few hours later; although the baby appeared to be physically unharmed. Monks who had declared a life of celibacy were also forced to rape women.

An eye-witness account of the Rape of Nanjing

Mass graves containing massacred Chinese infants

Japan Sweeps into South East Asia

• Attack on Pearl Harbor coordinated with advance into South East Asia.
• 1941 – Hong Kong, Malaya, Philippines & Burma fell
• 1942 – Singapore & Dutch East Indies fell
• Thailand signed alliance with Japanese to avoid being conquered
• French Indo-China became Japan’s ally as well.
• South East Asia came under Japanese control by 1942