Japanese Imperialism During Ww2 And Japans Gains From The League Of Nations

Western incursion into China and Japan is a key factor as to how these countries developed economically and socially. While China and Japan were trying to get on their feet and figure out the standards in which to run their countries, the West was escalating in both power and ambitions. The escalation meant growth in European fire arm power which allowed the European countries to make their way into China and Japan without China and Japan being able to stop them because they were not as strong at this point. However, China and Japan both responded to European influence in very different ways. Under the influence of Western imperialism, China was hindered in the process of structural change and industrialization in their society, where as,

From 1853 to 1941, Japan changed from being a reclusive, isolated nation that kept to itself to an imperialistic power openly attacking and conquering surrounding territories and peoples.

The Great Depression, which occurred in 1929, devastated the economy of many counties worldwide, including Japan. Thus, many sought for imperialism as the answer, such as the Western power and Japan. Japan targeted China, planning on taking advantage of the turmoil that was taking place inside the country, greatly devastating the country by military power. Watching closely over the feud between the Chinese Nationalists and Communists, Japan waited for the perfect opportunity. (Beck et. alt. 481)

“When the Japanese Kwantung Army (also known as the Guandong Army) contrived to invade Manchuria on 18 September 1931, it unleashed military and political forces which led ultimately to the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941”(BBC). It can be concluded that Japan’s invasion of Manchuria, and even their attack on Pearl Harbor, were a result of extreme nationalism and militarism. Therefore, in conclusion, Japanese expansion was an integral part of WWII, and thus must be considered when evaluating the effect of the Treaty of Versailles on WWII.

In 1926 Emperor Hirohito took control of the throne and changed the dynamics of the countries’ policy (History, Imperial). The power within the country started and ended with the emperor. There were previously feuds for loyalty to a faction of ones’ choice but that ended with the Peace Preservation Law in 1925 which officially ended political freedom in Japan (History, Imperial). All loyalties in Japan now lied with the state. The state was ran by the emperor so his word and will became reality within his borders. This change brought on more conflict. Between 1932 and 1936 Japan spawned the idea of the “Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere” which called for the unification of Asian nations but under Japanese control (History, Imperial). The bottom line of this plan was for Japan to have absolute imperial control throughout the Far East. This propelled Japan into campaigns on many fronts spreading their military over vast areas. Though they were successful in these campaigns with China and Russia, their resources were running thin, forcing them to look for alternate

Even though Japan was forced to open their borders by the American forces this was a benefit to the Japanese society, government, military and economy. Imperialism means lengthening the rule of an empire over foreign countries or getting and holding societies. (Random House, 2017). After the forced opening of Japan’s borders by the United States(US) Forces, they became one of the most powerful country’s in the Pacific and the Emperor began to rule Japan again. It took multiple visits by a number of countries including Portuguese, Spanish & Dutch traders in the 16th and 17th centuries (historian, 2017) to gain agreement and establish signed treaties to allow Japan to realise the benefits to not only their society but government, military and the economy.

During the Edo period, for nearly 200 years, Japan has been under isolationism. They limited their contact between outsiders; Japan had existed in a state of cultural isolation for such a long time. But how has Japan become one of the world’s most powerful countries, who has one of the strongest economies in the world? In 1853, the Japanese had been prompted by Commodore Matthew Perry, to open their doors to the rest of the world. After, the Japanese signed trading treaties with many Western countries.

Japan was one of the major powers of Axis Powers during the World War II. From 1937 to 1945, Japan started a series of wars, and resulted in millions of casualties along the way. Japanese battlefield consists of three parts: China, Pacific and Southeastern Asia. Japanese started these wars because they wanted to gain resources and war advantages for their own country. Japan committed crimes against humanity during their wars, which means they neglected human dignity and degraded human value by humiliation. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Pearl Harbor Attack and wars in Southeastern Asia, Japan, in pursuit of self-interest, violated human rights and committed crimes against humanity.

Imperialism is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas.” By comparing and contrasting imperialism in Europe and imperialism in Japan post the Industrial Revolution, we can observe how the two interpret the definition of imperialism and how imperialism contributed to the development of Japan and European nations by influencing them socially, economically, and

The mid-1930’s was an extremely turbulent time in the Far East. The Soviets and Japanese had been at each other’s throats since the Russo-Japanese War from 1904 to 1905. The Treaty of Portsmouth ended the war in September 1905, which had given the Japanese South Manchuria and gave them the lease on the Liaotung Peninsula. This important because the Japanese would create the Kwantung Army to defend this area. “The number of regular troops Japan might station in the Kwantung Territory was not stipulated by treaty, but the initial strength of the Kwantung Garrison amounted to two regular army divisions and fortress units stationed at Port Arthur and Dairen.” The Japanese were going to defend their newly acquired territory with this sizeable force. The Japanese also benefitted from World War I because they were able to put more forces into Manchuria and they were able to get concessions from China, which gave them more control over Manchuria. The Japanese had control over this part of the world. The Japanese would also attempt again to take advantage of a great situation. In 1917, the Russian tsar collapsed and plunged Russia into civil war and revolution and they were able to capture most of Manchuria. The Japanese were invited to the Washington armament conference of 1921, but it was because the Allies from World War I were trying to take away the land acquired by the Japanese. The Japanese had agreed to give up the Shantung province and withdrew

Japan would soon invade Manchuria on September 18, 1931 and establish Manchukuo. This marked the beginning of the road towards Pearl Harbor and furthered strained the relationship between the United States and Japan. The United States began to place restraints on Japan due to it’s actions in China. This negatively impacted Japan and Konoe implemented a new policy statement and also negotiated the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy just in case they get attacked by the United States because Japan was interested in the oil-rich Dutch and despite the fact that the United States and Great Britain would resist. Japan were no longer allies of Great Britain and China

While other countries colonized before the wars, Japan was “closed off” to the outside world. It was not until the First World War Japan began to colonize other territories as well. After the war, Japan became increasingly frightful of “the rise of Chinese nationalism” (Strayer 1003). Japan itself “seized control of Manchuria,” a Chinese region (Strayer 1003). Japan withdrew from the League of Nations and aligned itself more closely with Italy and Germany. Japan possessed an Authoritarian government much like Italy’s and Germany’s. Each governed without the consideration of its citizens and with no regard for differing opinions. Democracy did not exist within these nations; however, China was a nationalist country. Japanese colonization infuriated China. Their war began.

The participation in the war commenced after the militarization of the government in 1930, contributing to the country’s poor economy. The situation deteriorated further forcing Japan to seek for other ways to uplift it from the backdrop position. Japan invaded Manchuria in China and kept the emperor but changed its name to Manchukuo as they named it a new state. The act was condemned by the League of Nations, which enraged Japan forcing them to withdraw their membership within the treaty. The Sino-Japanese war officially broke out in 1937 with the Japanese occupying the Chinese coast. During the post WWI period, military nationalists gained power as they considered aggressive nationalism and territorial expansion to be the best mechanisms from the economic constraints. Japan chose to develop as a colonial empire by conquering other states than relying on foreign imports. The activities of Japan on the violation of treaties paved way for imperialists like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, who monitored the Japanese activities and realized that they did not experience repercussions from their defection

When the Meiji Restoration flourished Japan from an agronomic nation to rapid modernization, they were using Western countries as models to industrialize and develop their economy and society. They were not only to better themselves; learning from the West came the goal of wanting to be their equal. Japan tried to shape into countries like France and Britain to prove that they deserve to be a world power, thus starting Japanese imperialism. After the Sino-Japanese war, both Korea and Taiwan were annexed to Japan, where the Japanese used militant colonial rule and assimilation to what seemed like a benefit to them was exploitation to the respective cultures.

The Nanjing Massacre was one of the bloodiest fights due to the results of the Sino- Japanese War. In 1937, Japan invaded the city of Nanjing after successfully taking over the city of Shanghai. Driven by violence and greed, Japanese troops were ordered to brutally execute the civilians in Nanjing. The Japanese troops raped and tortured thousands of innocent civilians, including children. This inhumane act of aggression caught the attention of foreign countries and allowed them to turn their sides on Japan. Not only did this event leave a negative reputation on Japan, but it also affected Japan’s status as a prosperous and growing country. How did the Nanjing Massacre affect Japan’s reputation to the rest of the world? In order to evaluate this question, this investigation will examine the extent of the Japanese military against the Chinese civilians, the reaction of foreign countries, and the response of other countries following the massacre.