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The Meiji Restoration Begins:
A movement that greatly modernized and reformed Japan in the image of the Western Powers. An American treaty opened Japan up to trade with the West and established the Meiji Government, which encouraged nationalist ideas, and the modernization of the military. They also encouraged militarism, which later led to the imperialism seen in China. Being opened up to trade with America made it possible for Japan's war machine to later become dependent on it. This led to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour. -
The Triple Intervention:
After defeating China in the First Sino-Japanese war, Japan gained the Liaodong Peninsula. Germany, Russia, and France, concerned with Japan's increasing power in Asia, forced Japan to give up the peninsula. Russia then took the peninsula for itself, to Japan's fury. Having to give up land gained from a successful war to the Western powers encouraged militarism and nationalism. The event reinforced Japan's idea that a strong military was needed in order to defend their acquired territory. -
The Russo-Japanese War:
After disputes over Manchuria and Korea, Japan launched a surprise attack on Russia, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. The victorious Japan gained Korea and Southern Manchuria. This victory helped confirm their belief as the destined leaders of Asia, bolstering nationalism and imperialism. Also, the acquiring of Southern Manchuria further encouraged militarists and imperialists within Japan to support the full invasion of Manchuria, thus bringing Japan potentially closer to the Mukden Incident. -
The Versailles Peace Conference:
At the post war conferences, Japan gained former German Pacific territories, increasing Japanese naval power in the Western Pacific. This supported militarism in Japan. Also at the conference, Japan proposed the inclusion of racial equality clauses to the League of Nations Charter. They were denied due to fears of the clauses' implications on Japanese emigration. This reminded Japan that the Western powers perceived them as unequal, which supported nationalism and mistrust of the west in Japan. -
The Great Depression in Japan:
During the Depression, Japanese exports plummeted as countries used tariffs in order to protect their industry. Desperate poverty occurred as the unemployed rose to 3 million. In such a dire situation, Manchuria's wealth of natural resources became even more appealing. Control of Manchuria would mean access to these resources and a market for manufactured goods. Plus living place for the overpopulated Japanese population. These benefits supported the imperialistic notion of conquering Manchuria. -
The Mukden Incident:
In Manchuria, the Japanese Kwantung army blew up a section of their railway and blamed the Chinese. This was an excuse to invade the rest of Manchuria. The army had gone rogue, and was ignoring orders from Tokyo to stop. After the successful invasion, public opinion was in favour of the Kwantung army, so the government was forced to go along with it. This showed the military could act with impunity. This allowed militarist ideas to become more prevalent in the government and foreign policy. -
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident:
At the Marco Polo Bridge, near Beijing, fighting broke out between Japanese and Chinese forces. This escalated into a full-scale war between the two nations. This action caused concern in the UK and other European countries that had territory nearby, bringing them closer to taking some sort of action against Japan. Also the involvement in such a large scale war against fierce resistance put strain on Japan's resources, resulting in further reliance on resources traded from America. -
The Tripartite Pact:
Japan signed the Tripartite pact with Germany and Italy. They agreed that Germany and Italy would dominate Europe, while Japan dominated East Asia. They also agreed to assist each other should one of the members be attacked by a new power entering the conflict. Japan found motivation from Germany's successes in Europe, which helped encourage its war effort. Japan's association and willingness to assist these European warmongering states drew it closer to involvement in a global conflict. -
The Full American Trade Embargo on Japan:
As Japanese expansion increased, so did American trade restrictions. When Japan invaded Southern Indo-China, and was able to pose a threat to Siam, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies, America cut all trade with Japan. Japan needed the import of US oil and materials in order to keep their war effort in China going. In order to assure enough resources, Japan decided a war of conquest was necessary. This led to a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, in order to cripple the US Pacific Fleet. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbour:
Following America's trade embargo, Japan launched a surprise bombing raid on the American naval base of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The purpose was to cripple the American Pacific Fleet. The attack was successful, except that the aircraft carriers were out of port at the time of the attack, so were missed. The following day, America declared war on Japan. This pulled Japan into the now global Pacific theater of World War Two.
