Japan
World I – Post WW II
Presentation by Robert Martinez
Primary Content Source: A Short History of the World
Images as cited.
Japan joined World War I on the side of the
Allies. During the conflict, Japan occupied
several German territories, including Jiaozhou in
north-eastern China and some islands in the
Western Pacific, most of which it was allowed to
retain at the war’s end.
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In 1919, Japan’s wartime territorial gains
are confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles.
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The war brought economic prosperity to
Japan, with an enormous boost in
munitions exports, creating a large
industrial labor force.
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Inspired by the growth of democracy in
the West, many Japanese began to
demand political reform. In 1925, the
Japanese Imperial Diet expanded the
suffrage to include all adult males.
aboutjapan.japansociety.org
After the WWI, in foreign affairs, Japan
became more focused on the pacific
region.
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In 1920, it joined the League of Nations and in
1928, Japan was one of 14 countries that
signed the somewhat idealistic Kellogg-Briand
Pact, which renounced war as a means of
solving international disputes.
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Japan’s wartime boom ended in 1920. The
economy suffered a series of recessions
through the 1920s; it was made worse by the
Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which
devastated Tokyo and Yokohama and caused
up to 140,000 deaths.
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When the worldwide depression struck in late
1929, Japan’s already faltering economic
situation deteriorated even further. Factories
laid off workers, prompting a new wave of
strikes. Farmers suffered as agricultural prices
plunged.
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Public opinion turned against the party leaders
and the political establishment. Many regarded
Western influences, including democratic
government, as part of the problem, and wished
for a return to traditional Japanese ways.
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Such conservative, nationalist views, found a
violent outlet with the formation of several
extreme right-wing terrorist organizations. One
of these groups, supported by elements within
the military, assassinated Prime Minister Inukai
Tsuyoshi in 1932, ending Japan’s brief flirtation
with democracy.
en.wikipedia.org
The major parties voted to dissolve themselves
and form a single party, the Imperial Rule
Assistance Association. The IRAA, which was
dominated by military and bureaucratic figures
and claimed to stand above party politics,
continued to rule Japan until 1945.
commons.wikimedia.org
There were several reasons for Japan’s
invasion of Manchuria. The vast areas of
undeveloped land and abundant natural
resources were ripe for exploitation.
commons.wikimedia.org
More urgently, Japan’s existing economic
interests in Manchuria were under threat
from Chinese nationalists, who were
hoping to drive out foreign-owned
businesses from China.
history.cultural-china.com
In September 1931,
Japan engineered a
crisis in Manchuria as
a pretext for an
invasion. A Japanese
force moved in and
asserted control.
Manchuria was
renamed Manchukuo
and a puppet
government was
installed there under
Emperor Henry Pu Yi.
en.wikipedia.org
Japanese forces occupied the Chinese province
of Jehol to create a buffer zone, and threatened
Beijing. Denunciations of Japanese aggression
at the League of Nations were not matched by
action, and in May 1933 China agreed a truce
that accepted Japanese control of Manchuria.
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In 1933, Japan withdraws from
the League of Nations.
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The Second Sino-Japanese War broke
out on July 7, 1937, when Chinese and
Japanese troops clashed near Marco
Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing.
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By the end of the year, Japanese forces
had captured Beijing, Shanghai and the
Chinese capital Nanjing and were in
control of most of northern China.
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en.m.wikipedia.org
Japan’s aerial
bombardment of
the cities, and the
massacres it
carried out in the
capital, known as
the Rape of
Nanjing, were
internally
condemned.
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The Chinese government retreated to the
inland province of Sichuan, refusing to
negotiate. By the end of 1938, the Japanese
had progressed along the lower Yangtze River
valley beyond Hankou and had won control of
several ports in southern China.
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However, the war had reached a
stalemate. The Chinese adoption of
guerilla tactics, scorched earth and
sabotage effectively stalled the Japanese
advance.
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With the fall of France and the Low
Countries to Germany in 1940, Japan saw
opportunities to expand its influence
within Europe’s South-east Asian
colonies.
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Japan’s war machine relied on plentiful
supplies of oil and rubber, which the
region had in abundance.
warchat.org
In July, the Japanese
government
announced the
formation of a
‘Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity
Sphere’, an economic
and political alliance
of East and Southeast Asian countries
under Japanese
leadership.
japanfocus.org
In September, Japan formed the Axis
Pact with Germany and Italy and received
permission from the Nazi-allied Vichy
regime in France to occupy northern
French Indochina.
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Despite these moves,
Japan remained greatly
dependent on the USA
for vital materials,
including oil, steel and
heavy machinery. The
U.S. government,
alarmed by Japanese
expansionism, began
placing embargoes on
these goods.
personal.psu.edu
Japan’s leaders knew that they could not
sustain their war effort in the long term without
U.S. oil, so agreed to negotiate in April 1941.
However, when Japanese troops occupied
southern Indochina in July, the U.S. responded
by placing a complete embargo on oil.
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In October, Prime Minister Konoe resigned,
having failed to reach a diplomatic resolution
to the problem. Konoe was replaced by the
hawkish General Hideki Tojo, who began
preparations for war with the United States.
en.wikipedia.org