Why did Japan go to War?

Japanese Imperialism during World War II

Mar 31, 2008 Jim Osborn

The reasons behind Japans aggression during World War II is not as well known as its German counterpart, so what prompted "The Empire of the Sun" to wage war?

Japan was desperate and in social and economic crisis, and the country was racked by devastating natural disasters. Dozens of earthquakes ravaged the country leaving destruction in it's wake.

The bottom fell out of the Japanese economy and they became a country ready for political upheaval. By 1926 over three-million workers were unemployed and thousands had lost their life savings.

For the first time in history, Japan was on the edge of revolt. A communist movement became popular and was gaining momentum.

The Diet (Japanese Parliament) took action to exterminate what they called "Dangerous Ideologies" and created the "Tokka" or special police and smashed all communist sentiments by 1928.

In 1930 a string of assassinations began. It was a brainless period of patriotism when zealots tried to purify Japan by murdering its leaders.

Extremists felt their leaders were cowering to the West by limiting Japans navel expansion and Prime Minister Hamaguchi was killed in 1930.

The political murders continued when a faction called “The Blood Brotherhood” carried out the executions of Finance Minister Junnosuke Inoue and Baron Takuma Dan.

The public sympathized with the assassins and considered them hero’s and plead for leniency and eventually the killers and their accomplices were released.

Japan, a nation dependant upon imported resources, suffered when the “The Great Depression” hit America destroying their greatest economic industry, the export of silk to the U.S.

Why did officials ignore peace-loving Emperor Hirohito, who once wrote “Sublime is the moment when the world is at peace?” And why did Hirohito never make a forceful enough appeal to prevent hostilities?

Hirohito accepted his role as a priestly figurehead who was expected to maintain a god-like dignity and not involve himself in affairs of state except in a purely ceremonial role.

The Emperor realized that the war-loving generals and politicians were deliberately venerating him to divine status to purposely render him impotent.

Although Hirohito indirectly made his disagreement known he was handcuffed by custom and ancient tradition from voicing out his true desires or making specific demands.

Japanese leaders believed that Asian colonies could supply them with raw materials and aid them in their economic problems through conquest.

Acting upon his own initiative Lieutenant Colonel Kanji Ishihara began Japans military aggression by attacking Manchuria under pretext of wrong-doing to seize territory.

By March 1932, the Japanese Kwantung Army led by the recently promoted Colonel Kanji Ishihara was given the go-ahead to capture all of Manchuria, Jehol, and a part of Mongolia.

The United States and other powers refused to recognize the new independent state of Manchukuo, which was made up of conquered lands that had been taken from China.

The Japanese were infuriated by “The League of Nations” condemning their actions and decided to withdraw from the League and disregard world opinion and peace treaties.

In 1939 the United States rescinded its commercial treaty with the Empire of Japan and began to restrict essential shipments of oil and metals.

These actions created resentment for the West and furthered the already deep seeded Anti-Anglo feelings throughout the Land.

By 1941 the U.S. joined in a full embargo which was a devastating blow to Japanese need and reliance upon imported oil.

Japan, given a choice of withdrawing from China or be denied the resources they needed to continue their campaign, chose war!

Prime Minister Hideki Tojo said, “ We have nothing to fear in fighting the U.S. and Britain.” It was decided that Japan would attack America.

They planned the assault on Pearl Harbor which would eventually lead to the downfall of Japan, and in the famous words of a Japanese commander after the attack “Awake a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

Reference: Japan at War: World War II

Time-Life Books 1980

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