Militarist of Japan

A Fragile Peace

• Kellogg-Briand Pact– Countries agreed to only use war as necessity of self-

defense

• Lansing-Ishii Agreement – United States recognized Japan’s Special Interest in China– Despite Japans aggression in Asia, US felt it was only way

to maintain peace – Would eventually lead to Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor

• Five Power Treaty (France, England, US, Japan, Italy)– Agreed to not build up their navies, no new battle ships– Divided up the worlds oceans between powers

• Four-Power Treaty (US, Britain, Japan, France)– Respect one others possessions in the Pacific

• Nine-Power Treaty– Nations agreed to free and open trade in China

Manchuria

• 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria to protect its investment from Chinese Nationalist and Russia

• The occupation violated most of Japan’s international treaties and League of Nations Covenant

• Japan withdrew for the League in 1933 as a result of the Leagues protest

Imperial Japan

• July 7, 1937 – Japanese and Chinese troops classed at the Marco Polo Bridge west of Beijing, which developed into a full scale war– Japan began to occupy

China– This was the first front of

WWII• Invaded and occupied

other Asian territories in 1940, because of their valuable natural resources– French Indochina– Dutch East Indies – British Malaya– Burma

Japanese - United State Tension • Export Control Act – restricted traded

with Japan on items they needed– Weapons and other strategic material – Aviation Fuel – Scrap Iron

• Tripartite Pact – Japan signed a defensive pact with Italy and Germany

• Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the US and merged the Philippines into the armed forces

• Japanese Militants attacked and conquered British and Dutch colonial assets without permission from Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, who preferred peace

• Japanese Militarist now felt the US presence in the Pacific was dangerous Japans Empire

Pearl Harbor • Ludlow Amendment

– Required a public vote to go to war, unless attacked

• Sept 6, 1941 – Militarist in Japan order the

preparations for a surprise attack on Hawaii

– Gave Konoe six weeks to secure peace at request of the Emperor

• Hideki Tojo– Leader of Militarist – Ordered Konoe to issue demands

US would not accept – intentional – Became Prime Minister when

Konoe resigned– War Party now controlled Japan– Sent a peace delegation to US as

a cover for attack

Pearl Harbor Continued

• “The questions is how we should maneuver them into the position of firing the first shot without allowing too much danger to ourselves”– Sectary of war Stimson

Pearl Harbor Continued

• December 7, 1941– Pearl Harbor received

message warning of attack– Japanese Ambassador in

Washington ordered to break off diplomatic relations at Noon – before attack

– Peaceful Sunday Morning, soldiers recovering from Saturday Night

– US thought fleet would be safe due to shallow waters of PH, Japan invented Special torpedo

– Attack lasted two hours, killed 2,400 and wounded 1,178

“A date which will live in infamy”

• The attack was successful, except in two ways – Didn’t attack onshore

facilities and oil tankers – Didn’t destroy Aircraft

Carriers

• Same day, Japan invaded– Philippines– Guam– Midway– Hong Kong – Malay Peninsula

• Congress declared war on Dec 8, 1941 on Japan

• Dec 11, Germany and Italy declared war on US

• The world was now at war