CHAPTER 6: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II IN THE ASIA PACIFIC THE WORLD IN CRISIS

CHAPTER 6: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II IN THE ASIA PACIFICTHE WORLD

IN CRISIS

Pearl Harbor Attack

(http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor/videos#attack-pearl-harbor)

Play this video clip and ask your students these questions:• Do you think Japan had been

forced to wage World War II?

• What pushed the USA to declare war on Japan?CHAPTER 6: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II IN THE ASIA PACIFIC

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941.

http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor/videos#attack-pearl-harbor



To what extent was Japan forced to wage World War II

in the Asia Pacific?

CHAPTER 6: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II IN THE ASIA PACIFIC

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In a Nutshell0 During 1930s, Japan pursued an expansionist foreign policy.

0 In 1931, Japanese army invaded Manchuria.

0 In 1937, Japan began full-scale war with China

0 To finance its war efforts in China, Japan turned to Southeast Asia (SEA) for resources.

0 That however brought Japan into conflict with the USA. The US Pacific fleet was stationed at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

0 To prevent the USA from hindering Japan’s campaign in SEA, Japan bombed Pearl Harbour on 2 Dec 1941. This sparked off the war in Asia-Pacific.

Timeline of Japanese aggression in Asia-Pacific

0 1931: Japan invaded Manchuria after Mukden Incident

0 1933: Japan withdrew from League of Nations

0 1937: Japan invaded rest of China following Marco Polo

Bridge Incident (2nd Sino-Japanese War)

0 Jul 1941: USA imposed oil embargo against Japan

0 Dec 1941: Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Southeast

Asia; WW2 began in Asia Pacific

6Crisis and Conflict: Fascist Japan

Copyright 2006

Rape of Nanking


Copyright 2006

Hideki Tōjō: General of Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister of Japan during WW2


Copyright 2006

Attack on Pearl Harbour


Copyright 2006

Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to the soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese Emperor.

Background to Japan’s rise to power

Historical and cultural legacies that influenced Japan’s rise as military power

Cult of emperor:Semi-divine statusMade Japs. feel superior

Samurai traditionDeath before surrender


Japanese Samurai warriors practising their fighting skills.

Background to Japan’s rise to power

Meiji Restoration 1868:

Modernization and industrialization of Japan

Closed gap with Western powers economically and militarily


Japan’s ambition to establish itself in Asia and Europe

As a rising power, Japan wanted to gain equal standing with Western powers

E.g. Defeated China in First Sino-Japanese War (1894)

E.g. Defeated Russians in the Russo-Japanese War (1905)


A scene from the Russo-Japanese war, 1905.

Crises in Japan in 1930s

Economic crisis0Population pressure: Japan

had limited resources to support its growing population

0Great Depression – Japan was robbed of overseas markets; could no longer sell goods abroad or afford to import raw materials and food

Political crisis0Rise of militarism: Japan’s

govt. was taken over by militarists who supported overseas expansion as the answer to Japanese problems; any politician who tried to stand up to them risked being assassinated

Reasons for outbreak of war in Asia-Pacific

Long term:0Worsening ties with

West0Rise of militarism0 Japan’s expansionist

foreign policy0Weakness of the League

of Nations

Short term:0War in Europe0US trade embargo0Appointment of Tojo0Attack on Pearl Harbour

Worsening relations with the West in the 1920s


0Many Japanese felt that the Western powers, especially USA, were biased against Japan.

0 Paris Peace Conference, 1919

0 Washington Naval Conference, 1921

0 US immigration laws, 1924

Paris Peace Conference, 1919

Japan proposed a racial equality clause to be included in the covenant of the League of Nations

The Japanese wished to be treated equally as a nation and be considered a great power.

Rejected by Western powers as this would undermine their colonial interests; Japan felt discriminated


Washington Naval Conference, 1921

Organized by USA

Aimed to reduce naval forces of major powers.

Ratio of warships that was allowed for Japan was lower than that of the USA and Britain.

Japan felt this was an unfair treaty aiming at restricting their power.


Racist US immigration laws

In 1924, US govt. passed laws to prohibit the immigration of all Asians, including Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.

Aim was to prevent immigrants from competing for jobs with American citizens

Japanese were greatly offended by this racial discrimination.


Link to war?

0Therefore, discrimination by the West created longstanding tension and hatred between Japan and the Western powers.

0This made Japan eager to take revenge and attack colonial powers in Asia Pacific, leading eventually to the outbreak of war.

Rise of militarism

0The rise of Japanese militarism played a large role in Japan’s expansionist ambitions.

0 In the 1920s and 30s, many Japanese began to lose faith in democracy and support the military instead.

0The was because Japan’s democratic leaders were seen as weak and corrupt, and they failed to solve Japan’s economic problems, especially the Great Depression.

Rise of militarism

0The Japanese military tried to seize power from the democratic leaders through assassinations and coups.

0 In May 1932, Prime Minister Inukai was assassinated. Martial law was declared and the new cabinet was composed mostly of military figures.

0The militaristic government was nationalist in nature and wanted to expand Japan for pride and resources.

0 It took a militaristic approach to all problems instead of trying to settle problems through diplomacy

Link to war

0Therefore, the rise of militarism influenced Japan to take aggressive actions to achieve its expansionist ambitions.

0This set Japan on a collision course with the western colonial powers and led to outbreak of war in Asia Pacific.

Japanese expansionist foreign policy

During the 1930s, Japan pursued an expansionist foreign policy through territorial acquisitions in the Asia Pacific.


Japan’s Foreign Policy Aims

0To build an empire in the Asia – Pacific

0To free Asians from western control

0To find room for Jp’s growing population

0To control resources & raw materials By the 1930s, the Japanese

military was one of the most advanced in the world & was

ready for action

Building an empire in the Pacific

0 Japan wanted to build an empire that matched its status as the leading power in Asia.

0 Japanese leaders believed that having an empire would give them the respect of the Western powers

0E.g. Japanese military called for expansion into Russia, China, British Malaya, French Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies.

0By the 1930s, the Japanese empire had expanded to include Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and the Marshall, Caroline and Mariana Islands in the Pacific

Link to war?

0Therefore, peace was threatened because when the Japanese wanted to expand their empire, they risk getting into conflicts or wars with the other colonial powers.

0This increased tension and hostility which led to outbreak of war.

To free Asians from Western control

0Most of Southeast Asia under western colonial control0As the strongest power in Asia, the Japanese felt they

should lead the fight against western colonial powers0 Japan initiated propaganda to “liberate” Asian

countries0 “Asia for Asians” – Asians should stand up against

western imperialism0 “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” – provide

mutual aid and cooperation for the benefit of all member countries

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

0 Included Australia, New Zealand, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, China and India.

0These countries had oil, tin and rubber which were important resources for Japan to be self-sufficient.

0They would also serve as markets for Japanese goods.

0 Japan used the term ‘Co-Prosperity’, to get Asians to believe that all the countries in the sphere would benefit economically through this arrangement.

Link to war

0Thus, peace was threatened as the Japanese would have to confront and challenge the Western colonial powers to free Asians from their control.

0This would heighten tension and lead to outbreak of war eventually in Asia-Pacific.

To find room for growing population

0 Jp needed to find more room for its exploding population as it is a mountainous country that lacked living space.

0From 30 million in 1870 to 70 million by 1937.0As the population grew, the demand for housing and food

also increased; need to resettle the people elsewhere0The military proposed overseas expansion promising that

it will provide more land for housing and to grow crops.0E.g. Manchuria was occupied in 1931 to provide Japan

with land for growing population.

Link to war?

0Thus, peace was threatened in Asia pacific as Japan would need to go to war, and invade other countries to get their land.

0This intensified tension and hostility between Japan and other nations, making the outbreak of general war more likely.

To control resources

0The Great Depression in 1929 made it hard for Japan to import resources & exports its goods

0 Its industries needed cheap supplies of natural resources and markets to sell their produced goods.

0But USA and western countries resorted to protectionism and imposed high taxes on foreign goods

0This led to drastic fall in demand for Japanese exports, especially silk. Factories went bankrupt and many became unemployed.

To control resources

0To solve their economic problems, the Japanese occupied Manchuria in 1931 – offered cheap manpower, an overseas market for Japan’s goods, and raw materials like coal, timber, iron, wheat and gold.

0They also sought to expand into Southeast Asia due to availability of rich resources such as rubber and oil from Malaya and Indonesia.

Link to war?

0Thus, peace was threatened as Japan would have to invade other countries in Asia-Pacific in order to control their resources.

0This would set Japan on a collision course with colonial powers and make outbreak of war inevitable.

Weakness of the League of Nations

The League of Nations proved ineffective in preventing Japan’s aggression.

This can be seen in the Mukden incident and invasion of Manchuria as well as the Second Sino-Japanese War.


Japanese soldiers entering Manchuria, 1931.

Jp’s Desire to Conquer China

0Historically, Japan had always been China’s tributary.0Wanted to assert its dominance over China once & for

all.0Wanted access to China’s rich port cities & resources0China was also weak, having civil war between the

Nationalists and Communists.

Where is Manchuria?

0Manchuria – important to Japan economically and strategically

0Provided abundant raw materials and a ready market for Jap. Goods

0Served as a good base to future expansion into China

Mukden incident and invasion of Manchuria (1931)

018 Sep 1931, a bomb exploded near the Japanese-owned railway near Mukden

0The Japanese army accused the Chinese govt. of sabotage.

0 In retaliation, they invaded and conquered Manchuria.

0They established the state of Manchukuo with the last Qing emperor, Pu Yi, installed as its puppet ruler

Pu Yi, The last Emperor of China

League’s response

0The League convened the Lytton commission to investigate the matter. After one year, the Commission reported that the Japanese invasion was illegal and that Japan should withdraw immediately from Manchuria.

0 In response to the League’s condemnation, Japan quit the League. The League was unable to enforce its decision on Japan.

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937)

0 In July 1937, a misunderstanding led to exchange of fire between Japanese and Chinese troops at Marco Polo Bridge.

0After incident, Japan authorized full-scale invasion of China.

0Although China appealed to the League to intervene, the Western power were not willing to get involved.

Link to war

0Therefore, the failure of the League in stopping Japanese aggression in Manchuria and invasion of China during the 1930s convinced Japanese military leaders that the Western powers were too weak to prevent their expansion.

0This made Japan bolder in attacking other countries

which eventually led to outbreak of war in Asia-Pacific

Changes in American foreign policy

0USA initially adopted an isolationist policy in 1930s

0However, American public opinion turned against the Japanese after their invasion of China in 1937.

0USA condemned Japanese aggression and provided military aid to China’s Nationalist government.

0 In 1940, USA imposed a trade embargo on Japan which banned the export of steel, scrap iron and fuel to Japan. These resources were essential to support Japan’s war effort in China.

Changes in American foreign policy

0As a result of the oil embargo, Japan was left with only two years’ supply of oil.

0Since no other country would sell oil to Japan, it had two choices — give in to US demands and remove Japanese forces from China in exchange for lifting the oil embargo; or take oil by invading the Dutch East Indies.

Link to war

0As a result of the US oil embargo, Japan had to urgently look for alternative sources of oil to support its military campaign in China.

0This forced Japan to attack oil-rich countries in Southeast Asia which led to outbreak of war in Asia-Pacific.

War in Europe

0When war in Europe broke out in 1939, the Western powers had to fight for survival against Germany, and could spare little resources to defend their colonies elsewhere.

0With the Western powers preoccupied by war in Europe, Southeast Asia was left defenseless and vulnerable.

0French Indochina, British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies became easy targets for Japanese invasion.

Link to war

0Therefore, the outbreak of war in Europe depleted and weakened the defenses of the colonies of Western powers in Asia Pacific.

0This made Japan bolder to attack the resource-rich colonies in Southeast Asia as they were confident of winning the war.

Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister

0 In 1941, General Hideki Tojo, who believed in the power of the military and in an aggressive foreign policy, became the Prime Minister of Japan.

0Tojo felt that war with the USA could not be avoided.

0Opponents who supported negotiation with the USA were removed from the government

Link to war

0As a result, the appointment of Tojo made Japan pursue a more aggressive and hostile foreign policy to achieve its expansionist ambitions.

0This set Japan on a collision course with the western colonial powers and led to outbreak of war in Asia Pacific


0 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour was a ‘trigger factor’ in the Japanese decision to wage war in Asia Pacific.

0The USA had a large Pacific fleet based in Pearl Harbour that could stop Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia.


0Destroying US Pacific Fleet would cripple the USA’s ability to fight a war in the Pacific. This will enable Japan to invade Southeast Asia successfully and gain time to protect the positions it had conquered in Southeast Asia.

0On Sunday 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. Five of the eight battleships at anchor were sunk; about 200 aircraft were destroyed. Over 2400 Americans were killed.

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

Mitsubishi Zero Fighters, preparing to launch from their aircraft carrier.

USS Arizona Memorial today

Sinking of the USS Arizona

American Response

01st ever attack on America0America declare war on

the Axis0Hitler & Mussolini declare

war on America.0U.S. enters WW II on the

side of the Allies0Formally ends American

policy of isolationismAllies against the Axis: From left, Winston Churchill (PM of Britain), Franklin Roosevelt (American President), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Leader)

Link to war

0Thus, attack on Pearl Harbour angered USA and provoked the Americans to retaliate and take military action against the Japanese, triggering the outbreak of war in Asia-Pacific.

Was Japan ‘forced’ to wage war?

Yes:0American oil embargo threatened Japan’s economic

survival and their plans for expansion – without oil, Japan’s industries and military campaigns would come to standstill provoked Japan to take aggressive actions to protect their interests

Was Japan ‘forced’ to wage war?

No:0 Japan’s expansionist ambitions – Japan wanted to build

an empire that matched its status as the leading power in Asia led Japan to invade colonial powers to assert its power and prestige

0 Japan’s quest for resources and raw materials – Japan wanted more resources to support its growing population and industries led Japan to follow an expansionist policy to solve its economic problems

Was the attack on Pearl Harbor a success?

Success 1

0 Attack on Pearl Harbour was a success as it inflicted massive damage to American Pacific Fleet.

0 The attack caught Americans by surprise and very little opposition was met.

0 For instance, 5 battleships were sunk and about 200 aircraft were destroyed in the surprise attack. Over 2400 Americans were killed.

0 As a result of this attack, the Japanese were able to gain complete control of the Pacific, which allowed them to carry out its invasion of Southeast Asia without hindrance.

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Success 2

0Attack on Pearl Harbour was also a success as it boosted the pride and morale of the Japanese.

0For many years the Western powers had treated Japan unfairly.

0E.g. Paris Peace Conference. Washington Naval Conference (refer to notes for details)

0Link: Thus, the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour allowed the Japanese to exact revenge for past humiliations and prove their superiority against the Western powers.

Failure 1

0Pearl Harbor attack failed to cripple US Pacific Fleet

0While the attack was devastating, the bombing did not cause enough damage to totally destroy the American Fleet.

0For instance, the aircraft carriers and some battleships were not at the harbor when the attack took place. The Japanese also failed to destroy the repair facilities and refueling stations, which allowed the Americans to repair their damaged ships and make them operational again.

0Thus, failure to crush the US Pacific Fleet allowed the Americans to rebuild and retaliate against the Japanese with greater force later.

Failure 2

0Pearl Harbour attack brought USA into war0The attack on Pearl Harbor caused USA to declare war, and

this meant that the Japanese now had to fight the richest and most powerful country in the world

0For instance, the USA was the world’s largest industrial producer and could produce far more military equipment than Japan. USA also had the advanced technology to produce the atomic bomb.

0Thus, by bringing USA into the war, Japan ensured that her armed forces in Asia-Pacific would ultimately be challenged and defeated by the superior American forces.

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CHAPTER 6: OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II IN THE ASIA PACIFIC THE WORLD IN CRISIS