Causes WWII in the Pacific
WARM UPWHAT ARE THINGS A NATION NEEDS TO
BE A WORLD POWER?
: Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
 Japan wanted
East-Asian
countries
 under Japanese
sphere of
influence
 1905-defeat of
Russia in
Russo-Japanese
War

Japan gained
Korea
Mukden Incident
 September 1931, an explosion occurred on the
tracks of the South Manchurian Railroad north of
the Chinese city of Mukden
 Japanese use this as an excuse to invade
Manchuria in 1931
 Invasion carried out by Japanese railroad security
and by troops stationed in Korea
Japanese Aggression
No Opposition
 China protested to League of Nations – no action taken
 U.S. would not recognize any territorial acquisitions
gained by war
 Japan responded by leaving League of Nations
Manchukuo
 Japan set up puppet
regime renamed
Manchukuo
 Gained in extracting
mineral, labor and natural
resources
 Mobilization of Labor

About 4,000,000 Koreans and
Chinese were shipped to
factories to work on Japan's
war efforts
Western Violations to Japan
 1919 - Paris Peace Conference - western countries
reject Japanese request for racial equality clause to
be included in the League of Nations Covenant
 1921-1922 - Washington Conference naval treaty gave Japan unfair 5:5:3 battleship ratio for U.S.,
Britain, and Japan respectively
 1924 - U.S. Japanese Exclusion Act shut off
Japanese immigration to U.S.
Japan Invades China
 China was in Civil War and
weak
 Chiang Kai-shek
(Nationalist )stopped
fighting Mao (communists)
& created a united Chinese
force vs. Japanese
expansion.
 Sino-Japanese War
Rape of Nanking
 began on December 13, 1937 and lasted for about six
weeks
 Japanese army conquered Shanghai and marched
towards Nanking
 Looting, Raping, Tourture and Mass execution
commenced
 To this day some Japanese politicians say it never
happened
Tragedy at Yangtze River
 On December 13, thousands more
refugees desperately attempted to cross
the Yangtze River to escape the city
 Japanese ruthlessly slaughtered
Chinese as they crossed
 Over 50,000 bodies counted floating in
the river
Photo Gallery
WHY?
 Discuss Why would the Japanese do all this?
Cultural Reasons
 Japanese wished to eliminate western influence
throughout East-Asia
 “Asia for Asians” - need to liberate Asian countries from
western imperialist powers
 Believed it was their manifest destiny to lead Asia
Japanese Control of Asian Territories
 Local governments were actually puppet regimes
with Japanese making all the decisions
 Japanese view other Asian groups as inferior
 Many native people within sphere died from forced
labor, torture, and execution at hands of Japanese
Economic Reasons
 Japan required East Asian raw materials for
industry and military
 U.S. embargo of oil and steel shipments to Japan

pushed Japanese leaders to rely on Asian countries for selfsufficiency
 Asian countries would provide Japan with an
export for manufactured goods
Political Reasons
 Japanese believed they had a right to imperialism
just as the western nations did
 Acquisition of colonies would increase
international prestige
US Puts Pressure on Japan
 U.S. increased military and
financial aid to China,
 US strengthening its
military power in the
Pacific
 Cut off the shipment of oil
and other raw materials to
Japan
 US Pacific fleet was the
only threat in the pacific
Discuss
 Why would Japan want to attack the US.
The Plan
 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned to immobilize
U.S. fleet at outset of war with surprise air strike
 Attack force – 6 heavy aircraft carriers accompanied
by 24 supporting vessels, submarine fleet
Attack!!! Dec 7th 1941
 Japanese aircrews took
Americans by surprise
 Attacked
military airfields
and hit the fleet anchored
at Pearl Harbor
 Losses
 U.S.
– 21 ships, 188
aircraft destroyed, 159
aircraft damaged, 2403
dead, 1178 wounded
 Japan – 29 planes
Lucky for Us
 Japan failed to damage any American aircraft
carriers, which had all been absent from the harbor
 Failed to damage shore side facilities at Pearl Harbor
Naval Base
Results
Before Pearl Harbor
After Pearl Harbor
 Shock and anger
caused Americans to
fight against Axis in
WWII 12/8
 FDR asks for a
Declaration of War
from congress in his
speech, “A Date
which will Live in
Infamy”