ww2- japanese militarism

What were attitudes to war like in Japan

• kamikaze - Japanese pilots who flew suicide missions against allied ships during endish of ww2

→ abt 3,800 kamikaze pilots died during war → more than 7,000 naval personnel = killed by kamikaze attacks

• hiroo onoda was a Japanese army who refused to believe that the war ended in 1945

→ continued his mission in Phillipines until 1975

Japanese imperialism

• fascist regimes → threatening peace → BUT this was already threatened by militarism & nationalism in Japan

→ ww2 began 1939 → BUT for Chinese → war Megan when Japan invaded in 1931 & expanded further evasion in 1937

• → beginning of Japanese attempt for Asia-pacific empire

• Late 19th century → Japan wanted to follow European powers & create an empire

→ sino-Japanese war (1894-95) - J invaded Korea + took, Formosa (now Taiwan) & Ryun islands from China

→ in Russo-Japanese war (1904-05) → J gained control of much of Manchuria

→ 1910 → J took Korea

→ during WW1 → J sided w/t allies to gain Germans territorial right in China & German colonies in North Pacific

TGD & militarianism

• contributed to increase of militarism → economic hardship → support. For military & nationalists ←> wanted Japan to gain colonies for raw materials/ export markets

• → Japan military = more power than civilian gov

• Early 1932 - Japanese = occupied all of Manchuria & claimed it wasn’t part of China

→ China protested to League of Nations → it censured J in 1933 → J left League of Nations

• western powers & league didn’t take action → didn’t want to disrupt the peace

Nationalism & Fascism in Japan

• Japan = ultra-nationalist societies → much in common with European fascists

• → encouraged devotion to military values, emperor (thought of as god)

→ violent nationationist, racist, anti-communist & ani-democratic

• assisnatated political opponents

• By 1937 → school kids - indoctrinated into fascist values + military training

Alliances with Europe

• 1937 → Japan & Germany sing Anti-Comintern pact (aganst commuism)

• July 1937 → Japan launched attack on China → taking Beijing, Guang Zhou & Nanjig

• 1940 - Japan & Germany & Italy signed Tripattite pact → axis power alliance

→ despite this → attack on Pearl Harbour 7th December 1941 → symbolises entry into ww2

The rape of nanjing

• btwn December 1937 & Jan 1938 → Japanese killed 200,000-300,000 Chinese civilians/ prisoners of war

→ mass rapers of chines women burying/burning people alive,etc