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War in the Pacific
Causes of War
In the early 1940s, Japan’s military glorified and encouraged war. It wanted an
empire stretching as far as India. Japan’s longing for war and a larger empire was
probably caused by its large population and lack of resources. The country did not
have enough food for everyone and lacked natural resources like oil and iron for
its factories. As Japan was faced these challenges, World War II was going on in
Europe. The Japanese decided to take advantage of Europe while it was distracted
with war. Japan invaded France’s colonies in southern Asia to gain more power
and resources for itself. To stay strong in its military effort, Japan also allied with
the Axis Powers, Germany and Italy.
The United States clearly disapproved of the partnership between Japan, Germany, and Italy. To show their
disapproval, the U.S. declared an embargo on Japan. An embargo is a type of trade barrier in which a country
blocks exports to or imports from another country. Japan was angered by the U.S. embargo. Furthermore, the
U.S. was protecting islands in the Pacific, such as the oil-rich East Indies, that the Japanese wanted to take over.
In order to continue it conquests, Japan needed to eliminate the U.S. resistance in the Pacific. Therefore, the
Japanese quietly sent a fleet of airplanes to Hawaii, suddenly attacking the United States. They hoped to destroy
the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. Although Japanese fighters and dive-bombers caused huge damage
and cost lives, they did not find any of the American aircraft carriers they hoped to destroy.
America Declares War
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States immediately declared war on Japan
and its European allies. Up until then, Americans did not want to go to war. This thinking
is called isolationism. However, on December 7, 1941, that opinion changed. America
went to war to protect itself from the Axis Powers.
By 1942, Japan held almost all of Southeast Asia. After many long, bloody battles fought on hundreds of
islands in the Pacific though, U.S. troops finally reached the main island of Japan. At this point, President
Harry Truman had a tough decision to make. Should he send American troops into Japan or find another way
to end the war? S ending troops in would cost thousands of American lives, and it could take years to finally
defeat Japan. Instead of sending thousands of troops to their death, President Truman decided to use America’s
new secret weapon – the atomic bomb.
Japan Surrenders
On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. When the Japanese
still refused to surrender, the U.S. dropped another bomb on Nagasaki three days later. It is estimated that these
two bombs killed 220,000 people, which is almost the total population of Orlando, Florida. Japan surrendered
on August 14, 1945. More than five million soldiers laid down their weapons that day.
After the surrender, Japan was reduced to rubble. Industries
(factories), farms, and families had been destroyed. The Japanese
government was also in shambles. Its people were demoralized
and discouraged. Furthermore, their emperor had been exposed
as a mortal man instead of the godly figure they believed him to be
before. Seeing this terrible situation, the American government and
military decided to help rebuild Japan instead of letting in rot in its
destruction.
Rebuilding Japan
The U.S. decided to help rebuild Japan for a couple of reasons. First, the United States wanted Japan to become
a peaceful, democratic nation that could govern itself and would not declare war on any more countries. Before
attacking the U.S., Japan had invaded several East Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, and Laos. In order
to make sure Japan stay peaceful, American General Douglas Macarthur helped to write a new Japanese
constitution. A constitution is a system of written rules and laws that establishes the structure and powers of the
government, along with the rights of the people. This new constitution formed Japan’s current government, a
constitutional monarchy.
In this government the Japanese emperor, or monarch, became a mere figure-head and no longer had the power
to control the government. Many people were given new rights, and everyone over the age of 20 was allowed to
vote. Japanese citizens could now elect their government representatives in the legislative branch, called a Diet
(similar to the U.S. Congress). This new Diet had the power to make laws and elect a new Prime Minister, who
became the true leader of the Japanese government. General Macarthur also wrote conditions into the
constitution that forbid Japan to build armies. This way the Japanese could not do any more damage to the
world. Transportation and industrial systems (ex. factories, businesses) were also rebuilt, leading to a Japan that
was economically sound and able to support itself.
America’s Mission
The U.S. wanted to help rebuild Japan for second reason, a reason that was more about protecting the U.S. than
helping the Japanese. At the end of WWII, the world was dominated by two superpowers – the U.S. (America)
a nd the U.S.S.R. (also known as the Soviet Union, now known as Russia). The U.S.A. was a democratic
government, while the U.S.S.R. was a communist government. They were two very different governments. In
America, the citizens controlled the government, but in the Soviet Union the government controlled the people.
In order to protect their governments and gain more power, both nations believed that they needed as many ally
countries and weapons on their “side” as possible. This military competition between communist and noncommunist nations was known as the Cold War.
During the Cold War, the U.S. wanted to stop the spread of communism at all costs. Japan’s close neighbor,
China, was on its way to becoming a communist nation. This scared and disappointed the American
government, so they needed to be sure Japan would not follow in China’s communist
footsteps. To help make sure that Japan would not join forces with the communist
countries of the U.S.S.R. and China, the U.S. helped remake Japan’s government and
economy similar to America’s. If Japan became a democratic nation, it would probably
become an ally, or partner, to the United States. Likewise, if Japan had a solid government
and economy, it would be able to stand alone and resist efforts made by the U.S.S.R. and
China to spread communism.
Outcome
In the end, the rebuilding of Japan was a success. Communism never spread to Japan, and Japan became an ally
of the United States. The Japanese government functioned as a democracy with free and fair elections. The
Japanese economy even became one of the strongest in the world. Still, in the years after WWII, the U.S.
became involved in several other wars in Asia, particularly Korea and Vietnam, to fight against the same
communist threat they had in Japan. In the end, America’s occupation of Japan and later wars in Korea and
Vietnam curbed the spread of communism and, most importantly, strengthened the global power of the United
States.