JAPANESE EXPANSION AND THE ORIGINS OF WORLD WAR II IN ASIA Reading: Smith, et al.,

JAPAN BEGINS TO INDUSTRIALIZE AFTER THE MEIJI RESTORATION  Emperor elevated to new status  Created a Constitutional Monarchy  Supported by Shintoism  Japan Develops Army based on Germany.  Develops Navy based on England’s

JAPAN IMPERIALISM  1894—Took Taiwan away from China  In 1910, occupied Korea  From 1894 on had resources from Manchuria

JAPAN HIT HARD BY GREAT DEPRESSION  In the 1930s  Worker’s Real Income was down and unemployment was up  Depression blamed on the weakness of the parliamentary government.  When Germany became strong under Hitler, some Japanese started looking to Germany as their model  Gradually began to demand an “Asia for the Asians”

JAPANESE ARMY TAKES OVER MANCHURIA  Takes over in  Changes the name to Manchukuo  Makes it a puppet state under Pui-Yi “China’s Last Emperor”

THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS  League of Nations protests Japan’s invasion of Manchuria.  Japan walks out of the League of Nations which is not able to do anything

JAPANESE FASCISM?

JAPAN DECLARES WAR ON CHINA  On July 7, 1937, Japan finally declares war on China.  Conquers vast amounts of Chinese territory  Can be considered to be the beginning of World War II  No one stopped Japan, even though US thinking that Japan was an aggressor state.  Previously US had admired Japan for its “westernization.”

IN 1938  November 3, 1938– Prime Minister Konoe Creates a New Puppet State under Wang Ching-Wei  Proclaims “Japan’s New Order in East Asia” to parallel Hitler’s “New Order in Europe”  Entire time Japan is constantly in little border wars with the Soviet Union  Shocked when Nazi-Soviet Pact Announced in 1939.

IN 1939, JAPAN’S PROBLEMS IN ASIA, NOT EUROPEAN  How to deal with China  Very threatened by Soviet Union  Didn’t want to antagonize the United States  Coveted Vietnam, Dutch East Indies and other areas in Southeast Asia  Believed that Southeast Asia should be ruled by Asians, mainly them  They lose the Battle of Nomonhan to Soviet Union.

IN 1940  Tripartite Pact  Hitler starts thinking about invading Soviet Union

IN 1941  April 13, 1941—Japan concludes treaty of neutrality with USSR.  June 22, 1941—Hitler invades Soviet Union  June 23, 1941—German controlled France agrees to let Japan take over Vietnam.  US places total embargo after Vietnam and Dutch East Indies occupied by Japan.

PEARL HARBOR  December 7, 1941— Japan bombs Pearl Harbor  Admiral Yamamoto terrified to learn that Air Craft Carriers not hurt  Hitler declares war on US

REASONS WHY JAPAN LAUNCHED WAR IN ASIA  To Protect position in China, especially Manchuria  To gain new colonies and Raw Materials  To preserve conservative government of Japan  To combat communism, especially China

WHAT HAPPENED?  Japan lost entire colonial empire  US insisted on dismantling traditional government, Emperor  Japanese Occupation Fostered Intensification of Communism