Imperial
Japan
Following the technological modernization that Japan experienced in the latter decades of the 19th century the emperor sought an end to the unequal treaties that had been forced upon Japan decades earlier, and the expansion of his empire. Over the previous centuries the European nations had expanded their wealth and power through the accumulation of foreign territories. Imperial expansion offers a military outpost, mineral resources to deplete, and a human resource base to exploit. Further borrowing from the European models of development, the emperor set his sights upon Southeast Asia for imperial expansion. Over the next fifty years Japan would expand its territory into China, Korea, Russia, and a multitude of Pacific Islands.
Beginning in 1874 the Japanese military had become powerful enough to expand into the surrounding islands of mainland Japan, annexing Ryuku, Ogasawara, and the Kurile Islands. Although deemed insignificant by many, these first ventures in territorial expansion would set the stage for future displays of military might. Rather than serving as a significant source of mineral resources, the Japanese were able to use the people of these lands as labor, and create friendly ports for reloading water, fuel, and food.
Following the moderate expansion between 1874 and 1875 the emperor looked to impose unequal treaties, similar to those imposed on Japan by the United States and the other European powers; he targeted Korea. At this point Korea had not yet gone through any program of modernization and was helpless in resisting against an insurgent Japanese force. The Japanese were now using American inspired gunboat diplomacy to forcefully open Korea to trade and impose unequal treaties. However, Korea would not serve merely as a market to exploit, the Korean peninsula provided the Japanese with another entrance into China and eastern Russia.
By 1895 Japan was beginning to see the fruits of their labor as the defeat of China in several wars and the annexation of Taiwan brought Japan political recognition from many European countries. Recognition from the European countries meant an escape from many of the treaties that had been forced upon Japan in the 1870’s, and an alliance with England in 1902. Japan had finally won the respect of the developed world as a military power; however, they were still viewed as an inferior culture and were not afforded the same courtesies as predominantly Anglo-Saxon nations.
In 1904 the Japanese moved into the upper sphere of powerful countries by contesting Russia’s control in the east. The Russo-Japanese war seemed a one sided battle on paper when considering Russia’s superiority in land area and total population. However, that advantage was merely an illusion, as the eastern regions of Russia’s mainland were far less populated than the western regions, and communication and transportation across the immense country was slow. Within 16 months Japan had sunk much of the Russian Navy and gained territories in Manchuria and Korea through the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905.
In 1910 the Japanese annexed the entire Korean peninsula, and continued to look to mainland Asia as their next imperial conquest. The Japanese found themselves fighting along the Allied powers in WWI, not as an allied power, but rather as a method of displacing Germany’s spheres of influence. Their cooperation with the allied powers won them control of the Shantung peninsula through the Versailles Treaty, and a seat in the League of Nations. However, the European countries were becoming weary of Japan’s rapid military growth.
In 1922 England cut her allegiances with Japan; both the United States and Great Britain saw Japan’s navy as a threat to their naval dominance. The British and the Americans recognized that Japan was no longer the weak country that it had been fifty years ago, and sought to limit the growth of the Japanese navy. Around this time Japan’s Imperial Army and Navy began to gain increasing control of the country’s political functions; growth of the military became the predominant goal of the country. Japan would not risk being dominated by outside forces again.
The great depression, sparked by the stock market crash in 1929, greatly affected the Japanese economy. However, similar to other countries, the Second World War would bring an end to economic stagnation, and an opportunity to flex their military muscles. The Japanese found themselves allied with Germany and Italy in 1940, and entered a neutrality treaty with Russia in 1941. The Germans were an appropriate ally for the Japanese; both countries thought of themselves as the world’s superior race. Ideologically, the two countries had much in common. Both the Japanese and the Germans engaged in cruel methods of torture and systematic killing of the other races. In an effort to inhibit the growth of the Japanese military, the United States imposed a trade embargo on Japan in 1941.
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese responded to the U.S. trade embargo, engaging in the bombing of the United State’s naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack came as a surprise to the American forces, resulting in the destruction of much of America’s pacific fleet. Over the next six months the Japanese would continue to wreak havoc upon the countries in Southeast Asia as they continued to expand their sphere of control. Not until June 4, 1942 at the battle of Midway would the Japanese lose their first battle in WWII, which would become the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
After the Americans secured their foothold on Midway Island, they would soon engage in a system of “Island Hopping”. Island hopping was designed by General Douglas MacArthur and involved avoiding unnecessary battles in order to concentrate forces on the most strategic locations. As the Americans gained control of the surrounding islands and slowly approached the island of Japan, MacArthur demanded an unconditional surrender of the island. However, the Japanese were adamantly opposed to the unconditional surrender, and their tenaciousness, marked by the kamikaze bombings made invasion of the island nearly impossible. Rather than risking the lives of more American soldiers, President Truman decided to implement the atomic bomb.
President Truman's Press Release August 6, 1945
