Japan’s Motives for Going to War in WWII

Introduction 

The Second World War is by far the most significant historical event in the 20 th century that had profound effects on various nations. One of the major influences was Japan, a country which actively participated in the war. The majority of Americans and observers of the war do not have complete information on the factors that led to the island nation going into the WWII. A large proportion of the population believes that the country is solely aggressive and provoked the US to join in the major war. However, Japan’s motives were guided by three major factors of political, economic, and social nature that had been on the build up since the mid 19 th century to the beginning of the Second World War. During the 1930s and 1940s, Japan was seen to acquire vast swathes of land in Asia with a clear intent of colonizing it. The following paper discusses in detail the various political, economic, and social factors that influenced the once closed society to participate in the war. 

Political 

For the majority part of 200 years before the 1850s, Japan maintained a closed society with minimal contact with the rest of the world. Despite efforts by the Western society to establish contact with the island nation, majority of the sailors who would approach its borders were shipwrecked. 1 As a result, the Treaty of Kanagawa was agreed upon between the country’s government and the US. The treaty noted that the two countries would engage in limited trade and a safe return on American sailors who were stranded in Japanese waters. However, this agreement was painfully unequal as it largely favored the desires of the American powers that had overwhelming force and superior military technology. 2 The Japanese were aware of the humiliation that China suffered at the hands of the British Empire during the first Opium War. The Tokugawa shogun and his advisers did not wish to suffer a similar fate as the Chinese hence the need to establish a stronger political system that would protect its people from being overpowered in future. 

The Meiji Restoration would serve as an effective measure for the reforms taking place in Japan. The revolution would put an end to the powers of the Tokugawa shogun and restored the Emperor to become a central figure in its politics. The elites of Japan noted the need to build a new Japanese culture through adoption and sublimation of western cultures with national polity. 3 Through military success against larger powers like China and Russia brought about a virulent nationalism. 4 It emerged that many believed that the Japanese were racially and ethnically superior to others. The Japanese identified themselves as descendants of the Shinto gods while their leaders were directly associated with the Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. Therefore, they believed it was their right to rule over the rest of Asia. The ultra-nationalism arose at a time when Fascism and Naziism were evident in Italy and Germany. As a result, each of the countries felt threatened by the imperial powers of Europe and the US. Once the World War II broke out, they responded ruthlessly against those they believed were lesser people and allied with Germany and Italy to form the Axis Powers. 

Economic 

Similar to any great political empire, it is essential that the Japanese establish a strong economy to sustain its political ambitions. The events leading up to the Treaty of Kanagawa demonstrated the need for economic developments in Japan. Although the country engaged in trade with western countries prior to 1852, this was limited to Nagasaki where all transactions would be carried out. 5 Westerners were not allowed in the country and the actions of Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the US Navy, showed that Japanese were not as strong as they seemed. Imitation of the 19 th Century European powers would involve imperialism hence the need to colonize some of the countries around them. The immediate target was Korea which was previously thought to be a major liability, but its close proximity was a favorable stage for interested Western countries to attack Japan. Additionally, the Korean peninsula was rich in coal and iron two important resources for a country seeking rapid industrialization. This would mean that establishing colonies was mandatory to Japan’s success. 

There was a major concern in establishing Korea as Japan’s colony as it was a tributary state to China. Although the Japanese were able to establish unequal treaties with the Koreans, the peninsula which was their main target was free from them. The Chinese would then send troops to Korea to organize a rebellion, but were defeated in the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 allowing Japan to take control of the peninsula. 6 The rivalry with the Russians in early 20 th Century and subsequent victory meant that the Japanese would require high levels of financial input to overcome the enemies that would come against them. The government also sought for other natural resources including oil and rubber which coincidentally were in colonies controlled by Britain, France, and Netherlands. 7 Therefore, when the WWII broke out, Japan utilized this opportunity as an effective measure to seize the colonies of their enemies. 

Social 

Commodore Perry’s mission to Japan cannot be overstated in Japan’s motivation to establish a socially strong state that can keep out European powers. At the time, isolation was believed to be an effective measure of keeping the western cultures away and from suffering the fate of the Chinese. However, Commodore Perry’s ability to strong arm Japanese government into signing an unequal treaty demonstrated the need to discard the isolation perspective. The feudal system that had been part of Japanese society for centuries was abolished for the parliament system. 8 The practice was created as a measure of emulating the practices of the western powers by establishing more cohesion among the people as opposed to previous practices. Political elites believed that the reforms would bring about a stronger nation that could deter the strong European powers. 

In the early decades of the 20 th century, it was evident that the Japanese government could no longer trust the European powers which at the time were Britain and its allies. During WWI, Japan had allied with Britain, but did not receive equal peace settlements after the war as a result, its actions were to even the score in WWII. Furthermore, the incidence of the Great Depression led to the collapse of silk trade which heavily impoverished peasants in Japan. 9 There was need for the country to seek extensive swathes of land in China to resettle the peasants. The devastating earthquakes had left nearly three million Japanese unemployed and unable to sustain the costs of living. In a country with few natural resources, it was important to seek alternative measures of ensuring industrialization. Communism was gaining popularity which led to a major threat of Russian invasion. The Japanese government adopted Clausewitzian ideals of war whereby given the choice to withdraw from China or risk a full embargo on its shipments of resources like oil and metal, the Japanese chose war. 10 

Conclusion 

The island nation of Japan had largely been recognized as an isolated country from the rest of the world. Isolation was an important practice of ensuring the country does not capitulate to the European powers. Commodore Matthew Perry’s missions in the 1850s served as a wakeup call that Japan needed to take action to protect its borders. The leaders of the country identified the importance of reforming Japanese culture through adoption and sublimation of the western practices. The revolution would create a centralized government system with the Emperor at the helm, but his powers would be given to his advisers. The reforms would bring about the need to participate in wars as an effective measure of demonstrating superiority and strength of the nation. While majority of the leaders did not believe in violence, colonization was essential to establishing a powerful nation. Additionally, its philosophical ideals would identify that Japan was only ruling over other Asian countries to protect them from the wrath of the Europeans. Engagement in WWII was imminent when the country was forced into a position of weakness as its people suffered from the numerous natural disasters and embargo set on important shipments that restricted continued industrialization. 

Bibliography 

Brown, Philip C. "Constructing East Asia: Technology, Ideology, and Empire in Japan's Wartime Era, 1931–1945 by Aaron Stephen Moore." Technology and Culture 55, no. 4 (2014): 1019-1021. 

Green, Michael J. "The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. By SCM Paine." Pacific Affairs 90, no. 4 (2017): 818-820. 

Paine, Sarah CM. The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2017. 

Szczepanski, Kallie. “What Motivated Japanese Aggression in World War II?” ThoughtCo. , 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/japanese-aggression-in-world-war-ii-195806 

Takekoshi, Yosaburō. The Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan, Volume 3 . New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2004. 

Townsend, Susan. “Japan's Quest for Empire 1931 – 1945.” BBC History , 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_quest_empire_01.shtml 

1 Susan Townsend. “Japan's Quest for Empire 1931 – 1945.” BBC History , 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_quest_empire_01.shtml 

2 Philip C Brown. "Constructing East Asia: Technology, Ideology, and Empire in Japan's Wartime Era, 1931–1945 by Aaron Stephen Moore." Technology and Culture 55, no. 4 (2014): 1019-1021. 

3 Michael J Green. "The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. By SCM Paine." Pacific Affairs 90, no. 4 (2017): 818-820. 

4 Ibid p. 819. 

5 Yosaburō Takekoshi. The Economic Aspects of the History of the Civilization of Japan, Volume 3 . New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2004. p. 98. 

6 Ibid p. 285. 

7 Kallie Szczepanski. “What Motivated Japanese Aggression in World War II?” ThoughtCo., 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/japanese-aggression-in-world-war-ii-195806 

8 Ibid. 

9 Sarah CM Paine. The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2017. 

10 Ibid.