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Japan’s Pacific Campaign
CHAPTER 16
SECTION 2
Main Idea
 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and
brought the United States into World War II.
 World War II established the United States as a
leading player in international affairs.
Introduction
 Japan’s military leaders had a dream of an empire,
just like Hitler.
 Japan began to enter China in the late 1930s.
 The Chinese resisted and Japan’s economy
weakened.
 Japan looks to European colonies in Southeast
Asia to increase their resources.
Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor
 By October 1940, Americans were aware of
Japan’s plan for Southeast Asia.
 U.S. is afraid that Japan will try to take the
Philippines and Guam.

Both controlled by the U.S.
 U.S. sends aid to strengthen Chinese resistance.
 July 1941 – Japan takes French Indochina.
 Roosevelt stops oil shipments to Japan.
Day of Infamy
 Japan continues their conquests.
 Admiral Yamamoto called for an attack on the
U.S. fleet in Hawaii.
 December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor was attacked.
 U.S. military leaders knew that an attack might
come, but they didn’t know when.
 Within two hours – 19 ships were damaged, 8 of
those were battleships.
 2,300+ Americans were killed; 1,100 wounded.
 Congress accepts FDR’s request to declare war
on Japan and its allies.
 The following images were found in an old brownie
camera.
 A sailor took them the day that Pearl Harbor was
bombed.
 The first Brownie was made in 1900…for the
bargain price of $1.00! (Roughly $10-$15 today).
 The quality of the pictures is quite amazing for
such a cheap camera.
Japan’s Other Attacks
 At the same time as
Pearl Harbor, Japan
attacks Hong
Kong (British
colony), Guam and
Wake Island.
 Also attack
Thailand.
Japanese Victories
 After quickly
defeating Guam and
Wake Island, Japan
turned to the
Philippines.
 After taking control
of the Philippines,
Japan moves on to
Malaya.
Taking the Dutch East Indies
 Japan also takes the
resource-rich Dutch
East Indies
(Indonesia).
Burma and India
 Japan now takes
Burma.
 Also, plan to take
over India, the
largest of the
Great Britain
colonies.
Japanese Force
 By the time Japan conquered Burma, it had seized
one million square miles.

(about ¼ the size of the U.S.)
 Japanese conquered 150 million people.
 They ruled by force and were extremely cruel.
POWs
 Japanese were most cruel to
the Allied prisoners of
war.
 They forced 70,000
prisoners to march more
than 50 miles up the
Bataan Peninsula.
 Only 54,000 survived.
 One POW reported:
 “I
was questioned by a Japanese officer, who
found out that I had been in a Philippine Scout
Battalion. The (Japanese) hated the
Scouts…Anyway, they took me outside and I
was forced to watch as they buried six of my
Scouts alive. They made the men dig their
own graves, and then had them kneel down
in a pit. The guards hit them over the head
with shovels to stun them and piled earth on
top.”
The Allies Strike Back
 Japanese seem
unbeatable.
 The Allies – particularly
the U.S. and Australia
– want to fight back.
The Allies Turn the Tide
 Lieutenant Doolittle
bombed Tokyo in April
1942.
 This raised American
morale.
 Japanese no longer felt
invincible.
Attempted Attack
 The next month,
the Allies
intercept a
Japanese force
ready to attack
an Allied air
base in New
Guinea.
Battle of the Coral Sea
 This naval battle was unusual because the ships did
not fire a single shot.
 Instead, ships were attacked by airplanes.
 Allies suffered more than the Japanese.
 However, they kept the Japanese from moving
farther south.
The Battle of Midway
 Japan moves onto Midway Island.
 American airfield
 Once again, the Allies break the codes and are
aware that the Japanese are coming.
 Allies waited until Japan launched the attack and
then attacked the fleet.
 332 Japanese planes were destroyed.
An Allied Offensive
 Due to their victory, the Allies were now on the
offensive.
 Japan had taken over hundreds of islands across
the ocean.
 General Douglas MacArthur developed a plan to
take care of this problem.
 MacArthur felt that island hopping to seize islands
that were not well defended would work best.
MacArthur
 U.S. learned that Japan was building a huge air base




on Guadalcanal.
Had to strike fast before it was completed.
There was no problem in seizing the airfield.
However, it was difficult to take over control of the
land.
U.S. had help from Australia.
Battle of Guadalcanal
 Both sides continue to
bring in more troops.
 After fighting more than
6 months, the
Japanese finally
withdraw their troops.
 They lost 2/3rd of their
soldiers.
 Called the Guadalcanal
“The Island of Death”.
Future Plans
 Japan continues to work toward establishing a new
order in Southeast Asia.
 Germany is focusing on how to deal with those he
felt as “unfit” for the Third Reich.