1. Japanese Aggression US Isolationism American and British policies in the Pacific Attack on Pearl Harbour.

What were the causes of the Second World War in the Pacific?

1. Japanese Aggression

US Isolationism

American and British policies in the Pacific

Attack on Pearl Harbour

Background: 1. Japanese Grievances

Treaty of Versailles

US Isolationism

Washington Naval Conference

Attack on Manchuria

Japans aims:

Territorial gains of the Pacific islands Rights and concessions won at

Shandong to be retained Current issues in Siberia to be kept off

the table In short acc to Michael Barnhart Japan

sought to have it enlarged imperial position recognized by the itnernational community

Japan’s obstacles

Woodrow Wilson arrived in Paris with the idea of bringing in a new world order

He wanted the creation of the LON where all nations would be represented as equals

Wilson meant to revolutionize the rules of the game of international relations is ways nearly always detrimental to Japan’s hard won gains of the last 25 years

Japan’s gains and actions were not in keeping with those rules

Japan domestic issues

For Hara the PM , a diplomatic victory at Versailles very important

It was the failure of the govt in 1905 which had catapulted Hara’s party the Seiyukai to power.

Hara determined not to have the opposition unseat him

Thus Japan approached the Conference defensively

Japan and China at Versailles

Japan attacked by China as the violator of the principles of the LON

Aus and NZ objected to Japan in the Pacific Japan’s racial equality clause idea blocked Finally Japan threatened not to join the LON Price to join LON was granting of Shandong and

receive Pacific territories as Mandates This was not acceptable to China and when

these terms were revealed in May 1919 it led to a massive protest in China> Called the May 4th Movement

Treaty of Versailles

Japanese delegates felt that they were slighted when their demands for the ‘racial equality clause ‘ were ignored.

USA withdrew from Treaty of Versailles and League

Yet it maintained a presence in the Pacific, claimed Open Door Policy in trade with China

Michael Barnhart…

Hara convinced that the US would be the key player in the region

To maintain that relationship and to be a part of the new order, Hara sacrificed some of the aims at the Conference

Hara would continue to pay over the next two years to secure that membership

Japan’s tensions with the US

Hinged on three issues› Japans involvement in Siberia› Japans growing naval power was seen as a threat by GB and

USA› Japan’s gains in China worried GB

To resolve part of the tensions Japan at America’s insistence recognized the right of the GB, French, US and Japanese banks to form a consortium and lend money to China

Hara also agreed to a partial withdrawal from some areas in Shandong. China refused to discuss this with Japan

IN addition Hara had to face tensions as the army was beginning to play an increasingly important role. It was reluctant to withdraw from Siberia and Manchuria

Japan’s domestic tensions

It is to be noted here that much of Japan’s policy is determined by its domestic tensions.› Army, fortunately Hara’s War Minster an

ex-Admiral Tanaka. He was able to convince the army to withdraw from Siberia

› Growing inflation and rice riots› Navy also now wanted an enlarged role like

the army. Its demands of 8-8 was a major issue and nearly destabilised the govt.

Washington Naval Conference 1922

On the surface the conference was about Naval disarmament as stated in the Treaty of Versailles

Reality was it was about containing the power of Japan

Both GB and USA worried about the growing power of Japan in the Pacific region

USA wanted to contain its power and GB wanted to opt out of its alliance

Japan gained in this with the ratio of 5:5: 3:1.75:1.75

Japanese gains at the Washington Naval Conference

Japanese gain the advantage in the Pacific as its fleet was to police only one ocean

Japan agreed to lower ratio in return for being able to keep its latest battleship and dismantling of fortifications on German Pacific colonies

US and UK agreed in turn not to develop any new military bases with the exception of Hawaii, Singapore and Japanese home waters

Japan was the gainer because the nearest hostile base the Hawaii was 6,000 miles away from Japan

Japanese were upset by these decisions. Hara was assassinated by a fanatic in 1921

Japanese losses and stalemate

Accept a lower ratio End of Anglo Japanese alliance The alliance was replaced by a ambiguous 4

Power Pact. It was consultative but did not apply to China, thereby signaling that the US did not endorse Japan’s claims on China

Signed the 9 power treaty respecting China’s sovereignty

This bound all the powers not to enlarge their rights in China in the future but it did not challenge positions and rights gained in the past.

What did Washington Conference achieve?

A decade of stability to Japan’s relations with the West

Relations and events in China were tumultous and Japan had to take some key decisions

Who would govern Japan? The parties?the Army? The Navy?

Summing up

Hara’s death meant that Japanese politics was fractured

No political party or the army would unite Japanese politics

As a result Japan did not have a unified or even consistent foreign policy for the end of WW1 to the 2nd ( Barnhart)

Japan Domestic Issues 1921-1931

Tokyo Earthquake 1923› Riots were believed to be masterminded by Koreans› A time of tensions, arrests, riots› More domestic instability for Japan

In 1924 Kato became PM› Attempted domestic reforms› Responsible for voting rights for all Japanese males

over the age of 25› Reduced the size of the Imperial Army› Relations with Moscow restored but tensions with

Communists remained› Peace Preservation Law passed….censorship, arrests

etc.

Japan Foreign Policy 1921-1929

Foreign Minister Shidehara tried to maintain good relations with the US inspite of a humiliating law in 1924 which barred Orientals from entering the US

Shidehara wanted to build on trade and investment with China

However by this time the Army was beginning to take control and the government and army often at odds and followed contradictory policies

The army was determined to hold on to Manchuria at all costs, to the point where it even tried to topple the Kato Government

Japan Govt and the Army

From 1924 onwards the government and army pursued contradictory policies

From 1924 when Chiang Kai Shek wanted Japan and Kwantung army to help him regain control, the govt refused but the Army began to look for allies against Shidehara.

Confrontation with govt and govt won Army was secretly supporting China But by 1924 China was allied with USSR and Japanese

businesses were targeted Shidehara’s refusal to deal effectively with this lost him his

power and in Shanghai the May 30th incident Shidehara chose to deal with China. China granted tarriff

autonmoy

Japan and China 1926 onwards

1926 CKS makes a bid for control of China He announced the ‘Northern Expedition’ Shidehara chose to be uninvolved Chang Tsolin the pro Japanese warlord felt that

the imperial army ( IJA )would not abandon him CKS gained control of key cities except

Manchuria By then Shidehara no longer in control as he

was ousted from power. Tanaka became the PM

Tanaka and China

Unlike Shidehara , Tanaka wanted to negotiate with China to get control of Manchuria

Tanaka Chiang Kai Shek agreement. Chiang agreed not to take Manchuria in return from Chiang’s taking control of China

By 1927 Tanaka’s position weak the politics in Japan weakened his position

Tanaka unable to prevent army from interfering in China’s affairs, the ‘Tsinan Incident’ in Shandong was caused by the IJA

By mid 1927 the government of Japan had no control over the army

Tanaka wanted to allow China to take control of Manchuria as long as Japanese interests were not harmed

Army wanted to control Manchuria

IJA and Manchuria

Over and over again the IJA demonstrated that it controlled issues in China and not the Japanese govt.

IJA did not want that China should regain control of Manchuria, not even token control

IJA afraid that Chang Tsolin would give in to Chiang Kai Shek , so his train was blown up

Rioting in Manchuria incited by the IJA IJA miscalculated…. Chang Tsolin’s son went

over to Chiang Kai Shek’s side when he learned that his father’s murderers were Japanese

London Naval ConferenceIssue

Japan’s tensions with the West

Shidehara who came back to office a second time, wanted to maintain ties with the west

Japan back on the Gold Standard: this was significant

However, naval disarmament on hold since 1922 was becoming an issue

London Naval Confernce held in 1929

Manchuria 1931

Japan maintained control of Manchuria through its support with Zhang Tsolin

CKS attempts to unify China and the rise fo Chinese nationalism prompted fears in Japan and posed a challenge to Japanese control of the mainland China

18/9/1931, Japanese army staged an ‘incident’. A bomb went off in Mukden. The Japanese Kwantung army claimed the Chinese did it.

Why Manchuria?

military

•Manchuria a good base to attack China

•Manchuria a buffer against USSR

Economic

•75% of all foreign investment was Japanese

•Manchuria rich in raw materials and provided markets markets for Japan

Social

•Japan had a fast growing population and need to resettle population

•Provide employment and migration because of Depression

Manchuria 1932

By 1932 Manchuria under Japanese control Pu Yi last Emperor became the puppet

emperor of ManchuGuo This action a clear breach of LON mandate LON declaimed that ManchuGuo was illegal

and demanded Japanese withdrawal Japan chose to ignore LON and withdraw

from League

US reaction to Japanese aggression

Introduction of the Stimson Doctrine Stimson Doctrine refused to recognise

ManchuGuo or any arrangement imposed on China by force

Impact of the Depression

Japan hit very hard by the Depression Its rice , silk and textile markets

collapsed because of US policy

US Neutrality ACts

These a major contributing factor to WW2 in the Pacific Issued in response to Japanese aggression in China in

1937 Refused loans and armaments to countries at war Travel on belligerent vessels was illegal

US anger at the sinking of the PANAY a US gunboat. It was sunk by the Japanese off Nanjing

US supported China and criticised Japanese actions in China

US not willing to commit to war to help China but demanded and received compensation for the PANAY incident

Neutrality Act

In reality the Act had little legal claim because War had not been declared

Roosevelt did not invoke the act, because it would close doors to China

Since the act was not implemented Japan was able to get supplies

Roosevelts Quarantine Speech

A factor that exacerbated tensions Message to isolationists in US was War

was coming and that there was no escape through neutrality or isolation

Japan took it to mean that it was a warning

Japanese Foreign Policy

A direct contributor to WW2 in the Pacific A combination of militant nationalism Desire to be a regional power A new modern army and navy set up

since the Meiji Restoration Armed forces to play a role in govt. By 1936 army and navy ministers to be

ranked offices Cabinet to include service men

Armed forces to be king-makers

Cabinet members were to be represented by armed forces

A cabinet could be toppled if a navy or army minister resigned

Increased budget spending on armed forces

Gradually as the Depression worsened there seemed to be the perception that civilian governments could not cope

Militarism in Japan

Japanese armed forces relied on 2 principles: absolute obedience to superiors and do not be taken alive in battle.

Training of Japanese soldiers very harsh and brutal

This brutality was reflected in Japanese attitudes in its war with China and S.E.Asia

Ironically in the Russo Japanese war, the Japanese were respected for their honorable treatment of troops!!!

Impact of the Depression

Rise of dictatorships seen by Japan as the answer to its problems

Japanese politicians blamed Affected by Chinese nationalism

because its investments in China, especially Manchuria were threatened

Furthermore the thinking evolved that if Japan had an empire it could create its own trade barriers and protectionist policies

Fairbanks’ View

Reasons for Japanese militarism? Japanese government had elites which included

Cabinet and the armed forces There was no tradition of democracy where the will

of the people could counter the role of the military ‘Military services in modernizing states tend to be

politically strong in modernising states and weak in fully modern states’

Japan was the former case, its military had never been subordinated to civilian control and as the most dynamic group in the socitey tthey rose to power.

Sino Japanese War 1937-1945

Attack begins with Marco Polo Bridge incident Fear of USSR which had 240,000 troops as

compared to Japanese 160,000 Japan attempted to capture Nanjing the capital

to end the war and not ally with USSR Rape of Nanjing followed 12/12/37 CKS withdrew to Chongqing Japanese set up a puppet government in

Nanjing with Wang Jingwei in March 1940 SO now there were 4 centres of power in China