<Process>
In the background of proceeding to the Pacific War, there was decisive confrontation of Japanese militarists insisting on the exclusive rule over the Manchuria and America insisting on the policy of "Open Door and Equal Opportunity ".
   In the late 1920's,Japanese militarists insisted that Japanese force should advance to Manchuria blessed with rich natural resources and a huge market to solve the domestic problems of economic recession and overpopulation.
In China, Guomindang(Nationalist Party) began to unify China ripped by warlords under the leadership of San Yat-sen and after his death, of Chiang Kai-shek.
Japanese leaders, especially militarists, feared that the increasingly confident Guomindang would abolish Japan's special rights and privileges obtained over the years in China.They favored the use of force,if necessary,to uphold Japan's interest on the mainland.
In summer of 1927,Prime Minister Tanaka Yoshikazu summoned many high-ranking officials to a conference in Tokyo to discuss East Asian affairs.
This conference became crucial to decide the Japan's foreign policy of the following years. On 18 September 1931,the incident of explosion on the South Manchuria Railroad happened. Although the damage of the explosion was little, Japanese garrison forces swiftly moved into action to succeed overrun the entire region of Manchuria.
This incident of explosion was called Mukden Incident and carried out on the scrupulous plan of militarists.
The Japanese government was stunned by the Mukden Incident and had taken a "Non-expansion Policy" at the beginning.
However,the Japanese government finally admitted the behavior of the Guandong Army and the establishment of the puppet state named Manchuko, pressured by ultra-nationalists or expansionists in the military.
The Japan's aggression caused worldly criticism and the League of Nations dispatched the team of investigation called Lytton Commission to Manchuria.
Japan withdrew from the League in 1933,and became isolated in the world.

Yasukini Shrine located at Kudan,Tokyo, facing the west side of Imperial Palace,and there the spirits of the dead in Meiji Restoration,Sino-Japanese War,Russo-Japanese War,and the Pacific War are enshrined.
On the worship of prime minister and Cabinet ministers, there are criticism of domestic political groups and Asian countries regarding the worship as the restoration of Japanese militarism.
  On the other hand,some think that it is very natural for Japanese government to offer a service for repose of the dead who devoted one's life for country.
The problem on the worship of Ysukuni Shrine by governmental officials is very disputable, including the cultural delicate elements of the way of memorial service for the dead.
The office of the General Headquaters was placed at the Daiichiseimei building in front of the Imperial Palace across the mort.
The room where Dougras MacArthor took office is preserved on the 6th floor in this building .
The building is now called D N Tower 21 adjoining the Nourin Tyukin building with a sky scraper in its behind.
The building hold an atomosphere of the time of Dougras MacArthur,because its design is almost the same as it was.
In Ichigaya where Ichigaya Gariosn of the Ground Self-Defense Force is now placed,there used to be the military academy during the World WarU.
While the military academy was moved to Zama and Asaka,the General Staff Office of the Military was transferred to Ichigaya by January 1941.
In the General Office of the Militaly,the central part of Military was placed and main strategic operations were carried out.
After the Pacific War, the facilities were requisitioned by the US Army,and the building was used as the place of The Far East Military Court.
  It was returned to Japan,and came to be used as the facilities of the Ground Self-Defence Force.
In 2000,the Defense Agency was decided to move to Ichigaya from Roppongi,and the old building was destroyed and the new building of the Defence Agency was constructed.
In the old building,a worldly famous novelist Mishima Yukio mada a last speech on the balcony of it and killed himself by "Harakiri" in 1970.
The place where Sunshine city is located now used to be the site of Tokyo Detention House. During the Pacific War,Zorge and Ozaki Hotumi were executed to death at this place,and the building of it was requisitioned by the Occupation Forces and the name of the facilities was changed to "Sugamo Prison".
In the Sugamo Prison, Tojyo Hideki designated as A class criminal of the war and other leaders were executed to death.
Sugamo Prison finished its role in 1953,and in the trend of modernization,the movement of transferring of the prison had arisen in Ikebukuro,and the prison was transferred to Kosuge in 1971.
Now,the Sunshine City in Ikebukuro covered the former site of Sugamo Prison and the stone monument engraved "Might Be Peace Forever"was erected in the Higashi Ikebukuro Central Park at the foot of Sunshine 60 Skyscraper.
In the Edo period,Tokugawa Shougnate was placed mainly in the Edo Castle.
After the overthrowing of the Edo Sogunate,the Emperor entered this castle and Edo castle became the Imperial Palace.
The park around the Imperial Park covered the huge area in the center of Tokyo.
In 1945,many people gathered and threw themselves on the ground wailing, knowing the defeat of the war by the voice of Emperor on the radio.
The left picture is the Nijyuubashi Bridge of the Imperial Palace.

<The Pacific War>
After the Marco Bridges Incident in 1939,the war had spread over the mainland of China and was lingered by the unexpected severe resistance, some, mainly navy force, insisted that it was important to secure the resources of south islands in the Pacific Ocean in order to battle in the following wars predominantly.
On the other hand, some insisted that Japan shouldn't commit in the war with China because the final target of Japan was Soviet Union, and that Japan should assigned its main forces to the northern border.
   In the spring of 1941,Japan signed a pact with the Soviet Union,and Japanese army advanced to the south for the realization of Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
This southward advance of Japan caused a critical confrontation with America, because America had a lot of commercial rights and privileges in the Pacific Ocean.
The occupation of the southern part of Indo-China in July 1941 caused of reprisal of America.America reacted strongly by freezing funds in order to halt trading and banning the exporting of oils to Japan, and tried to isolate and paralyze the economic circumstance of Japan.
The clue of the diplomatic solution of the confrontation couldn't be found,Japanes naval force had launched a surprise attack on the base of Pearl Harbor,Hawaii.
This attack was the beginning of the Pacific war.
 The attack to the Pearl Harbor is said to be "The attack without a declaration"but the declaration is said to be delayed only by the slacked official works.
But,the secret Japanese radio code had been broken by American intelligence,and America had learned much about Japan's plan.
At the beginning of the Pacific War,Japan made a brilliant gains in the Southeast Asia and the South Pathific Ocean.
Japanese armies soon drove across Buruma towards the frontier of India,while other Japanese forces occupied many islands north of Australia.
But American naval and air power brought the Japanese advance to a halt in the battle of Midway.
In August 1942,United States Marines stormed ashore at Guadalcanal in the Southwest Pacific.The American forcre gained command of the sea and the initiative in the Pacific war completely shifted to America.
As the battle spread to Saipan island, Iou Island, and Okinawa Island, the sphere of Japan's rule became narrowed.
At the time of Okinawa battle, near the sea of Okinawa were seen suicidal attacks by kamikase pilots who deliberately sought to crash their bomb-laden planes in to American ships. 
In 1945,B29 fighters dropped bombs on the major cities in Japan proper.
In August,the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,and Soviet force moved across the borders of Soviet Union into Manchuria and Korea, ignoring the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 1941.
On 15 August 1945,Emperor announced on the radio that he had decided to surrender to the Allied nations.Japan was defeated and the Pacific War and the World WarUended.
 

E-mail to Yoshimura Naohiro.