Background: Rising Tensions Japan invades Manchuria, held by China in Manchuria is resource rich and Japan is anticipating total war. They do not have enough war resources. Japan sets up puppet state of Manchukuo. The Open Door Policy was a policy brought forward by the United States to keep Chinas resources and markets from being owned by one specific nation. No country could invade China and take complete control. Control was to be shared amongst world powers. Japan expands their invasion into China proper in 1937 in attempts to gain more resources and territory. In response, the U.S gives funds and war resources for the Chinese resistance. Background: Rising Tensions. Japan is not gaining enough resources in China or their puppet state of Manchukuo. Must rely on outside sources (imports) from other countries. Japan invades French Indo China in 1940, thus threatening the French, the British in nearby British Malaya, and the Americans in the Philippines. U.S seizes Japanese cash and property in the United States and begins an OIL EMBARGO. The United States will cut off all oil exports to Japan. JAPAN RELIES ON THE U.S FOR 80% OF ITS OIL RESOURCE. Japan is extremely angry. Wants to move into the Dutch East Indies. NEEDS RESOURCES! They will not be able to do this without oil. Estimate that they have 2 years worth of oil to continue looking for oil in the Dutch East Indies. The State of Japan before Pearl Harbor Japan is attempting to create what they call the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, which would include all Asian nations. Japan, however, saw themselves as the obvious leader of this apparently equal grouping and seemed to closer to a desire to take over all of Asia under Japanese leadership. The Japanese have been preparing for war. Japan is aligned with the Axis Powers in Europe and have signed a non-aggression pact with Russia (1941). Japan has formed a large army and a powerful modern navy. Their military and navy are also comprised of fiercely loyal men who will do anything to succeed for the emperor. Including committing suicide by becoming a Kamikaze, or in Japanese a divine wind. Japan is extremely isolationist and truly believes that they can conquer all of Asia. Have a fierce pride and sense of duty and nationalism to Japan. Believe that they are a master race of the world. Japanese view the oil embargo as a direct threat and view the American naval fleet at Oahu, Hawaii at Pearl Harbor as a threat to their expansion into East Asia. The Japanese feel that they have been threatened and retaliate. On Dec. 7, 1941 the Japanese began their attack on Pearl Harbour at approx. 6 am. This attack was to be a complete surprise. Surprise was achieved. Six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 181 planes composed of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. U.S Naval vessels spotted a unidentified submarine periscope near Pearl Harbour. It was sunk by the Americans. The first wave of Japanese planes were seen but considered to be American. The sinking of the submarine was seen as routine and nothing was done. The Japanese aircrews achieved achieve surprise when they hit American ships and military installations on Oahu shortly before 8 am. When the attack ended shortly before 10 am, less than 2 hours after it began, the American forces had paid a heavy price. 21 ships of the U.S Naval fleet had been sunk or damaged. Aircraft losses were 188 destroyed and 159 damaged-most of which didnt get the chance to take off. American dead numbered 2,403. That figure included 68 civilians, most of them killed by anti aircraft shells. There were 1, 178 military and civilian wounded. Japanese losses were comparatively light. Twenty nine planes were lost and less than 10% of the attacking force was lost. Japanese success was huge, but not complete. They failed to damage any American aircraft carriers. The anger this attack would cause in the United States would lead to fierce and brutal retaliation and would be a decisive reason for the entry of the Americans into WWII. The Battle of the Coral Sea (7-8 May 1942) The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought in the waters southwest of the Solomon Islands and eastward from New Guinea. The Coral Sea action resulted from a Japanese amphibious operation intended to capture Port Moresby, located on New Guineas southeastern coast. A Japanese air base there would threaten northeastern Australia and support plans for further expansion into the South Pacific. The U.S was tipped off of the Japanese plans through breaking Japanese communication codes. Both sides would be equipped with naval power, air power, and land based bombers. After two days of active aircraft carrier combat, the U.S had lost one aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and one of its fleet oilers. The Japanese were forced to cancel the battle when they lost a carrier, a destroyer, some smaller ships, and maintained large damage to a main aircraft carrier, depleting much of their air resources. The Battle of Midway (4-7 June 1942) The Battle of Midway was fought near the tiny U.S mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll. Midway would even out the naval playing field. Up to this point the Japanese were superior. The Japanese fleet commander moved on Midway in an effort to draw out and destroy U.S Pacific Fleets aircraft carrier striking forces and embarrass the U.S Navy as they had done at Pearl Harbor. The plan was to knock down Midways defenses, follow with an invasion of nearby islands at Midway and establish a Japanese land base there. The Japanese intended to surprise them. Superior American intelligence cracked Japanese communication codes and the attack was known about well before the battle was joined. The U.S readied their carriers, their air force, and the land battalions, which were waiting for the Japanese before they had arrived. Japan lost 4 irreplaceable fleet carriers, with the U.S only losing 1. The base at Midway was salvaged and the Japanese left this battle defeated. The Guadalcanal Campaign (August 1942-February 1943) In the six months between Aug and February 1943, the U.S and its Pacific Allies fought a brutally hard air-sea-land campaign against the Japanese possession of the previously-obscure island of Guadalcanal. The Americans were on the offensive now and sent in a U.S Marine division carrying 19,000 marines to Guadalcanals Lunga Point and a nearby island of Tulagi. Air, land, and sea forces would be used. American forces had superior fire power and tactical training. Losses were heavy for both sides, though much more so for Japans ground forces specifically. The U.S had the resources and abilities to replace their lost ships, carriers, planes etc.. Japan however, had spread themselves so thinly and lacked the oil, building materials, and time to repair and replicate their ships. Japans offensive began to halt based on the events at Guadalcanal and they began a lengthily retreat from the area that lasted until the war ended. The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Oct ) The battle was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar, and Luzon. The American naval fleet was much superior to the Japanese at this point. On Oct. 20, U.S troops invaded the island of Leyte as a strategic move to cut Japan off from the countries it had occupied in the Greater East-Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, thus cutting it off from its oil supplies. The Japanese navy mobilized all of its remaining major naval vessels for this fight but was quickly squashed by the U.S navies attacking fleets. The Japanese navy failed to hold back the Americans and suffered heavy losses. They would never again have a naval force of any concern to the allies. Japan would use organized Kamikaze pilots (the divine wind) for the first time at this battle. Mariana and Palau Island Offensive (June-Nov. 1944) The Mariana and Palau Island Campaign also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by the United States forces. The battle was intended to neutralize Japanese bases in the central Pacific, support the drive to retake the Philippines, and provide bases for a strategic bombing campaign against Japan. The Japanese were heavily defeated, though they attempted to defend themselves with any remaining air, land, and sea forces. The Japanese suffered further blows to their air craft carriers, planes, and land crews. Very few of the Japanese military defenders were captured. The people of the Philippines were terrified of the American invaders. The Battle of Okinawa (April-June 1945) The Battle of Okinawa was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the allies largest Pacific War assault of WWII. The Battle took 82 days and was a strategic step in the allied plan to make Okinawa a base for air operations on the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland. The fighting was extremely ferocious on both side and resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during WWII. This battle was defined by the sheer number of allied ships, armies, and air force personnel, and also by the large number of Kamikaze pilots used during these attacks. The Americans won this battle by a landslide and lost 65,000 men. The Japanese lost 77,166 military men with a loss of 149,193 local civilians of Okinawa losing their lives through war or through suicide.