Summary
Highlights
Japan emerged from World War I as a powerful, industrialized nation. Despite its rise, the rejection of a racial equality clause at the Paris Peace Conference and the reversal of its control over Shandong Province caused resentment, fostering anti-Western sentiment and challenging Japan's pro-Western policies.
Japan's limited democracy, coupled with political corruption, internal disputes, and international humiliations, eroded public trust. Secret military societies gained influence through assassinations, demonstrating the military's growing power. Economically, the post-WWI boom ended, leading to overproduction, unemployment, and severe rural poverty exacerbated by the Great Depression, further undermining faith in democratic governance.
The Kwantung Army seized Manchuria in 1931 without government approval, establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo. Prime Minister Inukai's assassination after criticizing the invasion highlighted the government's loss of control over the military. Factors driving the invasion included China's attempts to nullify treaties, Manchuria's rich resources, desire for economic self-sufficiency, and China's internal turmoil. This event solidified military rule and led to a national unity government.
Japan justified the Manchurian invasion to the League of Nations but withdrew in 1933 after the Lytton Report recommended returning Manchuria to China. Japan then signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Germany and Italy. Tensions escalated into the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, with Japan capturing major cities but facing strong Chinese resistance, leading to a stalemate by 1939. Western powers offered little direct aid to China.
The Japanese military debated further expansion into Southeast Asia versus focusing on the Soviet threat. Germany's invasion of the USSR in 1941 removed the Soviet threat, paving the way for General Hideki Tojo to become prime minister and accelerate the shift to full military dictatorship. Japan aimed to conquer China and expand into resource-rich Southeast Asian colonies, leading to clashes with US interests. US economic sanctions, including an oil embargo, pushed Japan toward a decision for further expansion.
Believing war with the US was inevitable, Japan launched a preemptive strike on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This act ended US isolationism and led to the US declaring war. However, the attack failed to destroy key US carriers or oil supplies, and Japan's military goals were not fully achieved. Japan's military dictatorship ultimately resulted in aggressive expansion, defiance of international agreements, and prolonged warfare with China and the Allied powers, leading to devastation.