The World War II : Japan

World War II was arguably the largest global conflict in history, and in my opinion, it’s also the most interesting. The majority of it took place in the Eastern Hemisphere, with the United States only joining for the last four years. The American public wished to avoid war after experiencing the effects of World War 1, but were dragged into conflict by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. I never understood why Japan thought bombing the United States would have any beneficial outcomes for them, and I thought reading this book would give me a good understanding. As for taking this course, although studying history isn’t one of my passions, it seems like an interesting and fun hobby. Also, I think how humanity evolved to its current state should be universally known, and taking this course over regular World History would give me a better understanding of it.

World War II brought great tension between two of the strongest countries during the 1940s: the United States and Japan. Conflict started with Japan’s push past Chinese borders into Manchuria in search of the natural resources that Japan needed. The United States avoided military action with Japan and instead decided to stop economic trade. One of these measures was the Neutrality Act, which prohibited the sale of weapons to nations at war (Nash 513). The United States tried several maneuvers on Japan; they placed oil embargos to force Japan to shut down military operations in China. The US was focused on economically destroying Japan while Japan was planning a surprise attack on the US. Japan. Completely unaware of what the Japanese were

WWII was one of the deadliest wars in history. The war was ended only when the United States introduced the atomic bomb to the world and destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. A lot of controversy surrounds the decision made by President Truman to drop the bombs on Japan. The casualties were high and many were civilians, and with this it breeds the following question: Was it the right decision? Could there have been something else the United States could have done before going to such extreme measures? The decision to bomb the Japanese wasn’t an easy one and although the right decision was made it had more to do with political, ethical, and military reasoning than morality.

On December 7th, 1941, Japan used the paralysis of peace of the U.S to make them successfully attack Pearl Harbor; after that it was a turning point of World War II. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor symbolized and marked the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan 's attack on Pearl Harbor, while implementation of the "south", to launch a comprehensive attack on the South-East Asia, defeated the United States, Britain, the Netherlands East Indies in the Far East more than 300,000 troops, have occupied Thailand, Malaya, Burma, the Philippines, the Netherlands East India, some islands of Hong Kong and the Western Pacific, seized 3.86 million square kilometers of land, control of the 150 million population and wealth of strategic resources in the region, Asia-Pacific battlefield in full swing.

We had to fight the Japanese to get back the islands they had seized during the early part of the war. Based on the reading in Module 5 pt.2, “FDR approved a limited offensive. They chose to target the island of Guadalcanal, an island in the southern Solomons where Japan was building an airbase. The first United States Marines division had invaded.” According to “For the Common Dense”, “the Navy Marine Corp had landed at Guadalcanal in August 1942 during WWII to open the south pacific offensive and set out for months of bitter land, sea and air fighting that ended in critical Japan defeat (Millett, p.397).” Both opponents had lost warships in the combats around the island. But more ships had joined the U.S. fleet. This caused the Japanese navy to gradually reduce for the remainder of the war.

A. Up until the Battle of Midway, the Japanese ruled the seas in the Second World War. This, however, changed when the United States dominated them at the Midway Atoll (Hone, par. 1-3).

The Japanese didn't understand how the allies could so easily surrender with no shame or dishonour as they believed that you were either to be killed in the war or commit suicide if captured. This is why they were overwhelmed by the amount of prisoners they had to put in camps. In February 1942 there was 15,000 ‘Australian’ POW, and by mid-1943 only 2,500 remained. In May 1444 Changi had a total of 5,000 Australian POWs of the 11,100 prisoners; who were all crammed into less than a quarter of a square kilometre. In Selarang Barracks, the POW’s camps, unlike others, resorted to commanding officers of the allies (who were also prisoners) to taking care and controlling what happens in the camp.The POWs were given supplies and food and left till

A study designed to produce a bomb that no one has ever developed before. This destructive device would change the outcome of war for the rest of eternity. The topic of the bombing of Japan continues to divide historians on the view of ethics. Some say it opened doors that should have been kept closed and left alone, and others say it would have been immoral to not have used the bombs to end the war. This was an atomic reactor that could wipe out a country if needed to. This bomb was used to protect the United States of America during World War II, and lead us to our Second World War victory. The nuclear activity affected many people physically, emotionally, and especially health wise. Many people are still recovering from

In 1914, a war began that would turn into one of the deadliest combats in all of human history. A war that was fought between two alliances named the Triple Entente, consisting of Russia, France and Great Britain, and the Triple Alliance, which consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. One of the reasons the war was so deadly was because many of the commanders and generals did not develop the tactics at the rate at which the weapons had progressed. Artillery and Machine Guns would decimate anyone who came over the edge of a trench, leading to millions of deaths. The old style of face-to-face trading fire combat had become obsolete due to the invention of the automatic and semi-automatic weapon. A single gun could now kill or injure

When Philips, known as Phil, and Zamperini reached the Marshall Islands, the Japanese immediately captured them. A new journey had begun for them, and it was not going to be any easier. Before they knew it, they were becoming prisoners of war. They were beaten, interrogated, forced to take unknown medication for experimental purposes, enslaved, and most importantly mentally tortured. It was the job of the Japanese guards to make them feel weak and useless individuals to the point where dignity was completely lost. Bouncing from one P.O.W. camp to the next, the food and berthing conditions were unfathomable. Updates of the war were next to impossible to receive. As Phil and Zamperini were eventually separated to different camps, it took everything Zamperini had to maintain his mental strength. Surviving on a raft was one thing, but surviving while being tormented by the enemy was an entirely different ballgame for them. All humanity was lost in this part of the war, and there was no international law that could save them from this torture. Since the suspense was clearly already as high as it gets, Hillenbrand made it even more thorough by interviewing several men from various P.O.W. camps throughout Japan. Hearing the different stories and perspectives added more reality to my wild imagination of what a P.O.W. camp would look like. It also served as a reminder of everyone else who was going through this hell, rather than remaining focused only on Zamperini’s journey. This

One of the most argued topics in all of history is the atomic bombings of Japan in August of 1945. Many argued that we should have done exactly as we did, they would argue it was the only way to get Japan to surrender and to not lose any more American lives. Others believe that it was very unethical in dropping the atomic bombs. The director of Nuclear Studies Institute at American University in Washington D.C, Peter Kuznick, was against the whole idea, stating that “Truman knew he was beginning the process of annihilation of the species. It was not just a war crime; it was a crime against humanity.”

During WWII, Japan was attempting to expand their territories by taking over Manchuria and many other places. The U.S., however, said that they “would refuse to recognize any territorial acquisitions that violate American treaty rights” (Bordelon). Japan didn’t listen to America’s threats and still went on to violate the Kellogg-Briand Treaty of 1928 and the Open Door Policy Pact of 1922. This caused the relationship between to grow even worse because it made the U.S. concerned that they wouldn’t be able to protect their imports of tin, rubber, and oil. In addition, Japan was continually violating treaties and taking over little islands near the United States in Hawaii. As a result, the U.S. became increasingly worried and knew they needed

Emperor Hirohito or Michinomiya Hirohito was born on April 26th, 1901 and served as the Japanese Emperor from 1926-1989 (his death). During World War 2, Japan was registered as an Axis Power, an alliance with Germany and Italy. Japan’s major and most noted role in the war was that Japan ended by Hirohito’s decision. Japan was very successful during WWII including the occupation and controlling these modern day countries/regions: Manchuria (China), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, East Timor, New Guinea, Guam, and other Pacific Island nations. Also a major Japanese success in World War 2 was the surprise attack on the American military base of Pearl Harbor. Although Japan had these major successes,

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.

There will always be those who believe that diplomacy is an answer to conflict. I think that there are certain times that diplomacy has merit and is a viable end to a means. However, I do not believe that diplomacy was a means to an end of the conflict between America and Japan during WWII. I think that the trust factor for both nations had been eliminated as they ramped up towards war, and prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor. Nor do I believe that a conditional surrender was palatable to Americans who had fought and clawed their way through Europe and with the aid of their allies and defeated Hitler’s horde, and was not faced the destruction of the Japanese menace. Therefore, I do not believe that President Truman had any other choice but to use all the destruction power he had in his military arsenal.