CAUSES OF WAR
The Pacific War was caused by a series of trade embargoes that resulted in an economic crisis in Japan. This began when leaders such as Fumimaro Konoe and Sadao Araki took the throne and advocated for expansion into western Asia. They believed that Asia should be united under one common emperor, and this idea had begun to gain traction during 1920s and 1930s. Their reason for the expansion was to gain more natural resources to support their industrial growth. This created a fascist system that gave the military full power of the country. As their economy started to grow, weapon manufacturing became vital. However, the materials were mainly being imported from foreign countries, and Japan decided it would benefit from commandeering resources from countries in their proximity. They looked to China as a source of growth, who was in the midst of a raging civil war between the Nationalist government, Communists, and local warlords.
Their first target inside China's borders was Manchuria, a province in the Northeast. On September 18, 1931, Japan staged an incident and claimed the Chinese had attacked them. They bombed a section of the South Manchuria Railway near Shanghai, and developed a fake reason to attack China. After, the Japanese took Manchuria, as the government refused to fight the invaders. Unfortunately, the Chinese could not divert their attention from their current conflicts, and they requested international help. In October of 1931, the League of Nations demanded Japan to leave China. When they refused, the United States began to ignore Japan and did not recognize it as a country. Through all of this, Japanese troops continued to take land in neighboring China.
Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated, and in turn, the civilians lost all previous political power. Control of the government was given to Admiral Saito Makoto, who believed the military should play a larger role in society. In November of 1936, Japan signed a treaty with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy that united them against global communism.
By the end of 1937, Japan had full control of Shanghai, Nanking, and Shanxi. While taking Nanking, the Japanese committed heinous actions. They murdered almost 300,000 civilians, and the event became known as the "Rape of Nanking."
At first, most countries sided with Japan, as they were a valuable military partner. However, after atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking, countries such as the United States began to fear their expansion, as it threatened domination over Asia. The Japanese had also sank the USS Panay in late 1937. An American group named the Flying Tigers originated in mid-1941, a small air force that defended skies over eastern-Asia. This group destroyed nearly 300 Japanese planes while losing just 12 of their own.
Japan's actions resulted in severe tension with the US. Along with Britain and the Netherlands West Indies, the United States created a series of trade embargoes regarding oil and steel in August of 1941. This caused chaos in Japan, as they relied on the US for more than 80% of its oil. Because of the restrictions in place, Japan was forced to choose between either leaving China or seeking necessary resources. Japanese military officials developed a plan to avoid both. This involved bombing the US in Pearl Harbor, while concurrently attacking Netherlands for its rich oil and rubber stores. The Japanese sought to negotiate with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but the embargo did not allow it.
The Pacific War was caused by a series of trade embargoes that resulted in an economic crisis in Japan. This began when leaders such as Fumimaro Konoe and Sadao Araki took the throne and advocated for expansion into western Asia. They believed that Asia should be united under one common emperor, and this idea had begun to gain traction during 1920s and 1930s. Their reason for the expansion was to gain more natural resources to support their industrial growth. This created a fascist system that gave the military full power of the country. As their economy started to grow, weapon manufacturing became vital. However, the materials were mainly being imported from foreign countries, and Japan decided it would benefit from commandeering resources from countries in their proximity. They looked to China as a source of growth, who was in the midst of a raging civil war between the Nationalist government, Communists, and local warlords.
Their first target inside China's borders was Manchuria, a province in the Northeast. On September 18, 1931, Japan staged an incident and claimed the Chinese had attacked them. They bombed a section of the South Manchuria Railway near Shanghai, and developed a fake reason to attack China. After, the Japanese took Manchuria, as the government refused to fight the invaders. Unfortunately, the Chinese could not divert their attention from their current conflicts, and they requested international help. In October of 1931, the League of Nations demanded Japan to leave China. When they refused, the United States began to ignore Japan and did not recognize it as a country. Through all of this, Japanese troops continued to take land in neighboring China.
Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated, and in turn, the civilians lost all previous political power. Control of the government was given to Admiral Saito Makoto, who believed the military should play a larger role in society. In November of 1936, Japan signed a treaty with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy that united them against global communism.
By the end of 1937, Japan had full control of Shanghai, Nanking, and Shanxi. While taking Nanking, the Japanese committed heinous actions. They murdered almost 300,000 civilians, and the event became known as the "Rape of Nanking."
At first, most countries sided with Japan, as they were a valuable military partner. However, after atrocities such as the Rape of Nanking, countries such as the United States began to fear their expansion, as it threatened domination over Asia. The Japanese had also sank the USS Panay in late 1937. An American group named the Flying Tigers originated in mid-1941, a small air force that defended skies over eastern-Asia. This group destroyed nearly 300 Japanese planes while losing just 12 of their own.
Japan's actions resulted in severe tension with the US. Along with Britain and the Netherlands West Indies, the United States created a series of trade embargoes regarding oil and steel in August of 1941. This caused chaos in Japan, as they relied on the US for more than 80% of its oil. Because of the restrictions in place, Japan was forced to choose between either leaving China or seeking necessary resources. Japanese military officials developed a plan to avoid both. This involved bombing the US in Pearl Harbor, while concurrently attacking Netherlands for its rich oil and rubber stores. The Japanese sought to negotiate with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but the embargo did not allow it.