The conflict in Asia during the Second World War became known as Pacific War. The main actors were the StatesUnited it's the Japan, despite also having Chinese, British, French, Australians and armies from smaller countries in Asia. The war scenario in Asia started from 1937 with the Second Sino-Japanese War. With the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, in 1941, the United States entered the conflict.
Japanese militarism
Japanese Empire Flag during World War II
Since the end of the 19th century, Japan had demonstrated imperialist ambitions, mainly on Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. This Japanese imperialism resulted from a nationalist indoctrination carried out in the country with the educational reform during the Meiji Restoration.
As a result of this indoctrination, we can mention Japan's participation in numerous wars since 1894: two wars against the China (1894-1895 and 1937-1945), one against Russia (1904-1905), in addition to the conflict against the Allies in World War II (1940-1945).
The result of nationalist indoctrination in Japan was the emergence of a strong political group of far right, who formed Japan's intellectual elite. This elite defended the strengthening of the Japanese army and the formation of the Japanese Empire through the conquest of neighboring peoples, considered inferior.
The Japanese rivalry with the United States was the result of a diplomatic conflict that had occurred between the two nations during the 1910s over issues involving Japanese interests in territories Chinese. Since then, most politicians and the intellectual elite aligned with the far right have passed to defend a direct armed confrontation against the United States as a way to show the power Japanese.
Japan at war
USS President Jackson maneuvering during a clash in the Solomon Islands in 1942
Japan gave demonstrations of its military power from 1937 with the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese occupation of China sparked numerous reports of the Japanese army's violence against the Chinese population. In 1940, Japan successfully invaded the IndochinaFrench.
Japan's intention, in addition to expelling British and Americans permanently from Asia, was to expand its domains to ensure control of sources of raw materials and labor, which would be important for financing the war.
The confrontation against the United States began after the attack on the US naval base in pearl harbor, in Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack sank part of the American naval fleet and was reported as a great success by Japan, however, it is seen today by historians as a great failure, as it did not cause the damage expected by Japanese. The attack was planned by Isoroku Yamamoto, one of the very few members of Japan's Army and Navy who had the courage not to support the war against the United States.
The American declaration of war came the next day, December 8, 1941. The initial phase of the war in Asia was marked by the imposition of force by the Japanese as they conquered numerous British colonies, such as Singapore, HongKong, Malaysia and Burma, in addition to defeating the Dutch in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and, after a hard battle, conquer the Philippines of Americans.
In spite of this, American power soon imposed itself on the war, however, with great pains. Every Japanese defeat came after a lot of resistance, as the Japanese generally fought to the death. Japan's first major defeat took place in the naval battle of midway, near the Solomon Islands. There, the Japanese Imperial Navy lost strength so that it could no longer recover throughout the war.
Then the defeats piled up as the American force increased and cornered the Japanese. the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, IslandsMarianas and Philippines they were demonstrations of the weakening of Japan. So, soon the Americans entered Japanese soil: American victories happened in IwoJiwa and Okinawa.
Final phase
In 1945, the United States punished large Japanese cities with tons of bombs dropped from B-29 bombers. With the end of the war in Europe, the Allies (Soviet Union, China and United Kingdom) got together to debate the invasion of Japanese territory. Japan, though bankrupt and destroyed, refused to surrender.
To prevent a land invasion, the United States made use of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945. Japan, defeated, was forced to accept the impositions determined by the United States from 1945 onwards. The American occupation of Japan only ended in 1952.
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