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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.