Download Japan`s military aggression

Chapter 7
War In Asia Pacific
Focuses
1. Why was peace in the Asia- Pacific region
threatened?
-Japan’s foreign policy aims (1931-1941)
-Japan’s military aggression
-Failure of LON to deal with Japan’s aggression
-Poor relations between Japan and the West
2. Why did World War II break out in the Asia- Pacific
region?
-Japan’s war against China
-The international situation
-Worsening relations between USA and Japan
-Increasing militarism (Tojo became PM)
Japan’s foreign policy (1931-41)
To build an empire in the Asia- Pacific region
 Want to be leading country in the region >
needed to expand her empire
 Expansion into Russia, China, Malaya,
Indochina and the East Indies
Japan’s foreign policy (1931-41)
To free Asians from Western control
As the strongest military power, Japan
wanted to lead Asia in removing Western
imperialism
Felt it was Japan’s destiny to lead Asia
>> created instability in the region as this
meant that Japan has got to fight with the
Western colonial powers
Japan’s foreign policy (1931-41)
To create a ‘Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere’
 Greater East Asia- Australia, New Zealand,
Malaya, Burma, Indochina, East Indies, China and
India.
 These countries had resources that were scarce
in Japan e.g. oil, tin and rubber.
 These countries would also serve as markets for
Japanese goods.
QN: Were the Japanese sincere about ‘CoProsperity’?
Japan’s foreign policy (1931-41)
To house Japan’s growing population
 Japan is a mountainous region- shortage
of living area and arable land
 Rapid increase in Japan’s population- 30
million in 1870 to 70 million by 1937
 Unable to house and feed the large
population on mainland Japan
 Therefore, overseas expansion is
required to provide living areas and
arable land for the increasing population
Japan’s foreign policy (1931-41)
To control resources
 Japan’s economy was badly affected by the
Great Depression
>>needed raw materials and markets to sell
their goods
 Japan had her eyes on Manchuria (map on p.
179)
 Manchuria can provide Japan with
- cheap manpower
- raw materials
- overseas market for Japan’s goods
Japan’s military aggression
Growing influence in the region
• Japan managed to get control of Port
Arthur, Southern Manchuria Railway and
secured economic privileges in Manchuria
• After World War I, Japan was given
control of German colonies in the Pacific
• Japan was increasingly extending its
control over the Asia-Pacific region
Japan’s military aggression
Military started acting without government’s
permission
The Japanese Army was naturally inclined to
use force for Japanese expansion and to solve
economic problems.
The army leaders were eager to exert control
over the region and acted independently of the
government.
2 incidents in the late 1920s and 1930s
• Mukden Incident
• Marco Polo Bridge Incident
Japan’s military aggression
Mukden Incident
•
18 Sept 1931, a train carrying Japanese
passengers exploded outside Mukden.
•
Japanese Army accused the Chinese of
attacking them and used the incident as an
excuse to take over Mukden and Southern
Manchuria
Japan’s military aggression
• Background:
•
In 1928, the Japanese Army bombed the
train in which Manchurian warlord, Zhang Zuo
Lin was travelling in.
•
>> hoped to pressure the Japan government
to invade Manchuria.
• Japanese army officers had acted without
permission but were not punished.
• QN: What does this incident tell you about the
Japanese government?
Japan’s military aggression
– Zhang Xue Liang came to power in
Manchuria
– Formed an alliance with Chiang Kai Shek
to fight the Japanese
– The Japanese Army felt threatened by this
alliance and reacted with aggression
(leading to the Mukden Incident in 18
September 1931)
Japan’s military aggression
• Invasion of Manchuria followed the
Mukden Incident
• Japanese Army established a Japanese
government in Manchuria
• Renamed it Manchukuo in February 1932
• The last Manchu Emperor of Qing Dynasty
Pu-Yi was installed as the new leader of
Manchukuo. (a puppet government)
• The Japanese Army filled all the important
positions in the new state.
Japan’s military aggression
• Significance of the Mukden Incident
• Japanese government was too weak to
control the army.
• With control of Manchuria, Japanese Army
next moved into Northern China.
• Growth in prestige and strength of the
Japanese Army.
Henry Pu-Yi
Propaganda poster in
Manchuria
Flag of Manchukuo
Japan’s military aggression
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
– Marked the beginning of the 2nd Sino- Japanese
War
– 7 July 1937
– On pretext of looking for a missing soldier, the
Japanese Army demanded that they be allowed to
search within the Chinese area.
– The request was refused and both sides
exchanged fire.
– Escalated into a full scale war between the
Chinese and the Japanese
Japanese Invasion of China
The Rape of Nanjing
Japanese Invasion of China
Japanese Invasion of China
Japanese Invasion of China
Japan’s military aggression
•
Factors leading to the Marco Polo Bridge
Incident
1. Japanese military
- not expecting any resistance from the
Chinese government
- attacked while the Chinese economy
and military strength were weak
Japan’s military aggression
2. International situation
- Japanese Army was confident that
there would not be a war on the RussoJapanese border
- concentrate all their resources on
defeating China
Japan’s military aggression
3. Japanese political control of the Army
was weak
- could not stop the Army from escalating
the incidents into war
4. Japanese zaibatsus
- encouraging the government to go to
war for their own benefits.
Failure of LON
Too weak to stop Japan’s invasion of Manchuria
Outright violation of LON’s rules by invading
another country
Why was LON unable to stop Japan’s invasion?
1. LON slow response to the Manchurian
Invasion
- took a year to respond to the Lytton
Commission
Failure of LON
2. Weak members
- Great Depression weakened leading
LON members (Br and Fr)
- therefore, unwilling to fight Japan
3. Self interests of members
- leading countries more concerned with
rebuilding their own economies
Failure of LON
4. LON had no power to stop Japan’s
aggression
- Lytton Commision criticised the Japanese
invasion
- no further action from LON
- Japan responded by withdrawing from LON
- Japanese military leaders were convinced
that the Western powers had little interests in
going to war to protect China
Poor Relations Between Japan and the
West
Racism of the West towards Japan
Examples of racism
• Washington Naval Conference- Japan to
keep the size of her navy to 3/5 that of USA
and Britain.’
• LON refused to declare that all nations are
equal- ‘White Supremacy’
Why did WWII break out in the AsiaPacific region?
• The first part of the chapter showed how
and why Japan was threatening the peace
of the region. (focus on Japan aggression
and expansion in the region)
• The second part of the chapter discussed
the reasons for the outbreak of WWII in
the region. (Japan’s aggression was
further fuelled by other factors that
eventually lead to war)
Why did WWII break out in the AsiaPacific region?
• War in the Asia- Pacific region breaks out
when Japan launched attacks on the US
bases in the Philippines, the Pacific
Islands and Hawaii.
• At the same time, Japan also launched
attacks against British Malaya and Hong
Kong
Japan’s war against China
• The Marco Polo Bridge Incident marked
the beginning of a full scale war against
China.
• Japan had expected a quick victory but the
war dragged on for years.
• The war drained Japan’s war resources
such as oil, rubber, tin and scrap metal.
• These resources are necessary for Japan
to continue fighting China.
Japan’s war against China
• Japan was unable to replenish these resources
because
- China did not have enough of these raw
materials to meet Japan’s needs
- War in Europe had caused the prices of these
raw materials to increase
• Japan had to attack other countries to get these
raw materials
- British Malaya for rubber
- Dutch East Indies for oil
The International Situation
Japan’s Neutrality Agreement with the Soviet
Union
• Many clashes between along the RussoJapanese borders in 1938 and 1939
- Japan suffered defeats at Changkufeng and
Nomohan at the hands of Soviet troops
• Given these border disputes, Japan was afraid
that any advances into China would allow the
Russians to take advantage and attack Japan.
The International Situation
• Japan signed a neutrality agreement with
Soviet Union in April 1941.
• Both countries agreed not to fight each
other.
• This eliminated Japan’s fears of fighting a
war on 2 fronts with China and Soviet
Union at the same time.
The International Situation
War in Europe left European colonies in Asia
undefended
• The European countries were occupied with war
against Germany in Europe.
• The Southeast Asian colonies (British Malaya,
French Indochina and Dutch East Indies) were
left unprotected as the Western Powers were
busy fighting the war in Europe.
• This presented an opportunity for Japan to
invade the S.E.Asian colonies for the raw
materials.
The International Situation
• Japan forced the Vietnam government to
allow them use of the air and naval bases
in Vietnam.
• Were training for jungle warfare in
Vietnam- preparing for the attack on the
rest of S.E.Asia
• Signed a neutrality agreement with Siam
(Thailand) to allow Japanese troops
through unopposed
The International Situation
• The international situation was favourable
towards an expansionist Japan’s foreign
policy as the obstacles (neutrality
agreements and Western colonial powers
fighting in Europe) were removed and the
way paved for increased Japan’s
aggression in the region.
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
Japan saw the USA as a threat to its building an
empire
• Throughout the 1930s, US-Japanese relations
became hostile and eventually broke down.
• Japan considered the USA as being a threat to
its ambitions of building up a great empire.
• Events that led to the hostility
1. Mukden Incident- Japan’s invasion of
Manchuria
USA’s reaction
- condemn Japan’s actions and refuse to
recognise Manchukuo
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
2. Japan’s expansion into North China 19321937
USA’s reaction
- Refused to send war materials to
countries at war (Neutrality Acts 1935)
3. Japan’s invasion of China
USA’s reaction
- USA took the side of China’s Nationalist
government
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
- US opinion turned against Japan after the
Japanese attacked an US navy ship near
Nanjing
4. Japan’s occupation of Indochina 1940
USA’s reaction
- USA expanded its military strength in reaction
to Japan’s aggression
- USA moved its Pacific Fleet closer to Japan
(Pearl Harbour in Hawaii) so as to protect their
trading interests in the region
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
- US fighter pilots volunteered in China’s war against
Japan
- US embargo on steel and scrap iron export to
Japan to cut off 80% of Japan’s war material
- USA froze all Japan’s assets in the USA
- US President Franklin Roosevelt demanded for
immediate Japan’s withdrawal from Indochina and
China
- Trade embargo against Japan
- Oil embargo against Japan leave it with only a 2
years supply (insufficient for Japan)
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
US embargo on raw materials to Japan
• USA was a major exporter of oil and metal
to Japan
• In 1941, USA placed an embargo on sale
of steel, scrap iron and oil to Japan
• Japan considered this embargo as a threat
to Japan’s survival as they could not
sustain the war with China without the raw
materials
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
• USA’s condition to lift the embargo was to
leave China immediately
• No other countries was willing to sell oil to
Japan
• Therefore, Japan was left with 2 choices
-leave China immediately or to invade the
Dutch East Indies for oil
Worsening relations between USA and
Japan
Breakdown of US-Japan talks in 1941
• A meeting was held between Nomura
Kichisaburo and Cordell Hull as a last ditch
attempt to prevent war from breaking out in the
Asia Pacific.
• However, both sides had very different goals for
the region.
• USA wanted Japan to withdraw from China.
• Japan wanted China to accept Japanese
occupation in China.
>> Given these very different goals, a compromise
was impossible to reach.
Tojo became PM
• Tojo, who was War Minister in Japan was
made PM in 1941.
• He believed that Japan’s problems could
not be solved through peaceful
negotiations and supported an aggressive
foreign policy.
• This increased the likelihood of war in the
region.
Tojo became PM
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour
• 7 December 1941, the Japanese fleet
launched an attack US Pacific Fleet at
Pearl Harbour.
• The unprovoked attack was launched
without warning.
• Destroyed 3 US battleships and 300
aircrafts.
Tojo became PM
Reasons for attacking Pearl Harbour
1. To be the supreme naval power in the
Asia Pacific region
2. To remove USA as a threat to Japan’s
expansion in the region by crippling the
US’s ability to fight
3. To solve Japan’s economic problems at
home
A Marine patrol on Saipan found this Japanese
family hiding in a hillside cave. The mother, four
children and a dog had taken shelter from the
fierce fighting in that area. June 21, 1944.
A Japanese plane shot down as it
attempted to attack the USS KITKUN BAY
near the Mariana Islands. June 1944.
Just 8 minutes after U.S. Marines and Army
assault troops landed on Guam, two U.S.
officers plant the American flag, using a
boat hook as a mast. July 20, 1944.
USS BUNKER HILL hit by two Kamikazes in
30 seconds off Kyushu, resulting in 372
dead and 264 wounded. May 11, 1945
Col. Paul W. Tibbets, pilot of
the B-29 Superfortress
ENOLA GAY, waves from the
cockpit just before taking off
from Tinian Island to drop the
Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima.
The 9,000 lb. bomb was
dropped from 31,600 feet and
detonated at 8:15 a.m.,
August 6, 1945, about 1,900
feet above the center of
Hiroshima. The Japanese
estimated 72,000 were killed
and 70,000 out of 76,000
buildings in the city were
destroyed.
Japanese POWs at Guam, with
bowed heads, after hearing Emperor
Hirohito announce Japan's
unconditional surrender. August 15,
1945
Allied POWs at Aomori camp near Yokohama
cheer their U.S. Navy liberators, waving flags
of the United States, Great Britain and
Holland. August 29, 1945.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur signs as Supreme
Allied Commander during formal surrender
ceremonies on the USS MISSOURI in Tokyo
Bay. September 2, 1945.