32.2 - Japan's Pacific Campaign

Japanese Conquests & Pearl Harbor

• The Japanese had imperialist plans for European colonies in Southeast Asia, so if they conquered them, it would also threaten the American-controlled Philippines and Guam

• The US sent aid to strengthen Chinese resistance against the Japanese, and when Japan overran French Indochina, the US cut off oil shipments to Japan — the Japanese continued their conquests

• Isoroku Yamamoto, a Japanese naval strategist, called for an attack on the US fleet in Hawaii, saying that America had a dagger pointed at Japan’s throat

• Pearl Harbor: the Japanese sunk and damaged many ships, and thousands of Americans were killed — Congress accepted President Roosevelt’s request for a declaration of war on Japan and its allies

• The Japanese continued their drive for a Pacific empire

The Japanese as Conquerors

• Once victorious in areas of East Asia, it became clear that the Japanese had come as cruel conquerors

• The Japanese saved the most brutal treatment for Allied prisoners of war

• The Bataan Death March: a forced march up the Bataan Peninsula by Allied prisoners

Battle of Coral Sea

• Stopped Japanese advances to the south (toward Australia) — it was the furthest south that the Japanese would get

• Airplanes taking off from huge aircraft carriers attacked the opposing ships

Battle of Midway

• Midway Island, west of Hawaii, and the location of an important American airfield

• Admiral Yamamoto was in command of the Japanese fleet and hoped that the attack on Midway would draw out the whole US Pacific Fleet from Pearl Harbor

• American forces successfully defeated the Japanese fleet and forced what was left of it to retreat

Allied Offensive

• Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Allied forces in the Pacific, wanted to “island-hop” past Japanese strongholds rather than storming each individual island

  • After passing Japanese strongholds, he would then seize islands that were not well defended but were closer to Japan

• Battle of Guadalcanal: the Japanese were building a large air base on the island of Guadalcanal, so the US sent troops to strike before the base was completed (the US won and the Japanese abandoned the island)