HOTA Midterm Paper 1 - Japanese Expansion and Responses

Factors causing Japanese nationalism and militarism

Desire to become a Western-style power, belief in Japan’s destiny as leader of Asia, need for raw materials and markets, strategic security, and growing popular support for expansion

Link between nationalism and militarism in Japan

Expansion required military force, giving the army political influence and tying nationalism to imperialism

End of Japanese isolation

Commodore Perry’s arrival (1853) and the Treaty of Kanagawa (1854)

Meiji Restoration

Restoration of imperial power, modernization, end of feudalism, limited democracy, and focus on “rich country, strong military”

Meiji military modernization

Adoption of German army tactics and a navy built with British assistance

Sino-Japanese War (1894–95)

Japan defeated China, gaining Formosa, Pescadores, Liaodong Peninsula, and recognition of Korean independence

Triple Intervention

Germany, Russia, and France forced Japan to return Liaodong, reinforcing resentment and belief in military strength

Russo-Japanese War (1904–05)

Japan defeated Russia, gained influence in Korea and Manchuria, and confirmed its leadership role in Asia

Japanese gains from World War I

German territories in Shandong and the Pacific, economic growth, and increased self-sufficiency

Twenty-One Demands (1915)

Demands on China for increased Japanese political and economic control, especially in Manchuria

Treaty of Versailles and Japan

Confirmed territorial gains but rejected racial equality, reinforcing exclusion from the Western powers

Shidehara Diplomacy

1920s policy of peaceful internationalism focused on economic growth and cooperation

Four-Power Treaty

Britain, Japan, USA, and France agreed to consult over Pacific disputes, replacing the Anglo-Japanese Alliance

Nine-Power Treaty

Agreement to respect China’s sovereignty and the Open Door policy

Five-Power Naval

Treaty Naval limits set at a 5:5:3 ratio for Britain, USA, and Japan

Weakness of Taisho democracy

Corruption, election fraud, zaibatsu influence, and weak civilian control

Peace Preservation Law (1925)

Law suppressing left-wing and communist opposition

Impact of US Immigration Act (1924)

Exclusion of Asians provoked nationalist anger and undermined moderates

Impact of Chinese instability on Japan

Encouraged expansion for resources and strategic security

Impact of the Great Depression on Japan

Collapse of exports and foreign tariffs made Manchuria’s resources seem essential

Rise of military influence after 1930

Military seen as morally pure compared to corrupt politicians, appealing to rural youth

Kwantung Army

Radical Japanese army group guarding the South Manchurian Railway

Mukden Incident (1931)

Staged explosion used as a pretext to invade Manchuria

Manchukuo

Japanese puppet state created in Manchuria in 1932

Effect of Manchurian Crisis on foreign relations

Worsened relations with the West and led to Japan leaving the League of Nations in 1933

Kodo-ha faction

Radical military faction favoring dictatorship, state socialism, and war with the USSR

Tosei-ha faction

More moderate faction favoring legal control, modernization, and expansion in China

Dominant military faction after 1936

Tosei-ha

Marco Polo Bridge Incident (1937)

Triggered the full-scale Sino-Japanese War

Rape of Nanjing

Mass murder and atrocities by Japanese troops in December 1937

Reason China did not surrender

United resistance by the GMD and CCP stretched Japanese forces

New Order in East Asia

Japan’s plan to dominate East Asia politically and economically

Tripartite Pact (1940)

Alliance between Japan, Germany, and Italy

Cause of US oil embargo (1941)

Japan’s expansion into southern Indo-China

Reason for attack on Pearl Harbor

To neutralize the US fleet and secure Southeast Asian resources

Lytton Report (1932)

Declared Japan’s actions unjustified and Manchukuo illegitimate

Weaknesses of the League of Nations’ response was due to?

Economic depression, fear of war, lack of US membership, and focus on Europe

Second United Front

Alliance between the GMD and CCP against Japan in 1936

Stimson Doctrine (1932)

US refusal to recognize territorial changes made by force

Shift in US policy after 1938

Japanese aggression and the Tripartite Pact linked Asian and European conflicts

1853

Commodore Perry arrives in Japan

1895

Japan defeats China and signs the Treaty of Shimonoseki

1905

Japan defeats Russia and signs the Treaty of Portsmouth

1931

Mukden Incident begins the Manchurian Crisis

1933

Japan leaves the League of Nations

1937

Sino-Japanese War begins after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident

1940

Japan signs the Tripartite Pact

December 7, 1941

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor