The Pacific War: Japans militarism - Essay Example

Running head: The Pacific War: Japan’s militarism 11th November Executive Summary From the evidence of history, Japan had applied the policy of militarism even before the First World War. The military aspect seemed to have worked for them since they had achieved a number of military victories. Japan’s walk toward militarism began at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in 1868, shortly after the Tokugawa Shogunate had been overthrown. During this period, the Meiji Oligarchs adopted the policy of fukoku kyôhei, which emphasized a rich country and a strong military1. The militarism and imperialism of the Japan rose progressively due to five major reasons, which existed from the early Meiji period till the beginning of the war in China in 1937. First, Japan was concerned about its own security and safety. The leaders of Japan intensified their quest for militarism after realizing that there was need to safeguard the country against Russia and other Western powers, which had more sophisticated technologies, advanced military and the naval supremacy. In 1894 to 1895, Japan won the Sino-Japanese War and conquered Formosa and the Liaotung Peninsula. They could, however, not repel Western imperialists like Russia, Germany, and France during the scramble for the Liaotung Peninsula2. During the Triple Intervention in 1895 Japan was forced to surrender their possession of the Peninsula. Japan, therefore, invested more in its military from 1895 to 1904 to protect its territories. Second, Japan had a desire to secure its economic interests, which became more magnified in the 1930s. Since Japan relied heavily on foreign trade, it was greatly affected by the great worldwide depression in 1929. Japan went through economic stagnation in the 1920s lots of economic problems. The great worldwide depression was worsened by the destructive Kantô earthquake in 1923, which particularly affected the small-scale farmers and workers3. In order to ensure a steady foreign trade, Japan resorted to strengthening its imperialism in the 1930s. Third, Japan needed to counter the frequent aggravation from Western nations. Between the 1850s and the 1930s, there were many incidents of coercion, abuse and provocations by Western imperialist countries against Asians4. According to the Washington conference, the naval tonnage agreement was set as 5:5:3 for Britain, US and Japan. This naval arrangement was taken as a disgrace to Japan as it stimulated the Japanese navy and army to take an aggressive action. The Westerner imperialists had a pronounced racial injustice toward the Japanese and other Asians. Having been infuriated by these aggravations, the Japanese leaders resorted to militaristic and imperialist sentiments, which promoted an expansion of militarism and imperialism from 1905 to the 1930s. Fourth, Japanese had a strong belief in their leadership role over Asia. The Japanese leaders believed that they were destined to lead and encourage other Asian countries to offset the schemes of the Western imperialists. In 1905, Japan was the first nation in Asia to overpower a Western nation when it defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to19055. The victory boosted the Japanese belief that their country would liberate other Asian states from Western imperialist powers. It also motivated them to focus on leading the Asian states to collective strength and prosperity. By 1942, the Japanese had attained a series of victories over the Allied Powers. The Japanese leaders sought to convince the other Asian states that its interests were not purely imperialist but moral and constructive and would benefit the whole of Asia. Their appeal to the Asian liberation and brotherhood was that Japans New Order in World War 2 was about Japan fighting a ‘holy war’ (seisensō) as the moral leader of Asia6. The leaders also argued that Japan would substitute the selfish and power-oriented blocs of the Western powers with a Japan-centered moral bloc, which would uphold the prosperity of Asia and its culture. Finally, Japan had a key interest in the Western-style imperialist power. The Japanese were intrigued by the sophistication of the Western imperialists in 1895 and resolved to develop arms that would match those of the Western powers. The Meiji leaders wanted to make Japan a first-rate nation having the prestige and power linked with foreign territorial possessions like Britain, Germany France, Russia, the Netherlands, and America7. Between 1895 and 1904, Japan resorted to updating and reinforcing its military expenditures. The Japanese leaders realized that such a step would be the only way of standing up to the Western powers like America, France, Germany, and Russia. In conclusion, Japan had applied the policy of militarism even before the First World War. Apart from seeking the Western-style imperialist power, the Japanese’ quest for militarism in the 20th century was inspired by the desire to secure their economic interests that became more magnified in the 1930s. The Japanese had a strong belief in their leadership role over Asia. They were concerned about their own security and safety and needed to counter the frequent aggravation from Western nations. Bibliography Hopkins, B. The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War. (New York: Zenith Press, 2010) 63-71. Hsiung, C and Steven I. Chinas Bitter Victory: The War with Japan, 1937–1945.(New York: M. E. Sharpe, 1992) 21-47. Jones, H. “As the centenary approaches: the regeneration of First World War historiography”. Historical Journal (2013): 57–87. Jones, H. "Goodbye to all that?: Memory and meaning in the commemoration of the first world war." Juncture (2014): 287–291. Saburo, H and Alvin, C. Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War. (Virginia: Marine Corps Assoc., 1959) 46-56. Stille, M. The Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific War. (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2014), 31-48. Read More