<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.
<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. |