Pacific Theatre

Questions - please answer these on paper or post them on your blog

1. What were Japan's first major acts of aggression before World War II and what land did they acquire?

• Sino-Japanese war, Russo-Japanese war, Occupation of Korea
• They acquired the southern half of the Sakhalin island and mineral rights in Manchuria
• Japan invaded China and Manchuria, attacked the Great Wall, and held responsibility for the rape of Nanjing

2. Some historian's argue that World War II did not begin with Hitler's invasion of Poland, but with Japan's aggression in 1937? What did the Japanese do during this year? Do you think WW II began in 1937 or 1939?

• The Japanese invaded China on full scale, attacking the Great Wall, Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing. They also held responsibility for the rape in Nanjing. I think that WWII began in 1939 because the movement in Europe was considered more active and wide-spread, in which Germany sided up with Italy and Austria to invade neighboring countries. Meanwhile, Japan took the initiative to invade China and Manchuria on their own; not much involvement between countries happened and therefore I don't really consider it the ignition of WWII.

3. Compare and contrast Japanese aggression with the aggression of the Nazi's in the decade prior to the war.

• The Japanese increased the tension leading to the war by invading neighboring territories to gather more power, feeling that they were more superior comparing to the neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the Nazis did more civil propaganda and implanting of ideas among the people in order to promote a strong, united nation. Additionally. The Nazis also earned the favor of the Germans by proposing plans to fix the country's economy.

4. Why was Nanjing the target of such brutality? Why is this attack referred to as the "Rape of Nanjing?"

 

• Because Nanjing was the capital city of China at the time, and it was considered the rape because massive killing and raping happened, resulting in the death toll of at least 300,000.

5. Read the quote from Colonel Yahara below. What about the Japanese military philosophy would have made them an especially challenging enemy to fight? How might this have shaped other countries' military strategies? Would this have caused the Japanese to treat prisoners of war that they captured differently?

 

"In Japan, from the thirteenth century until the Meiji Restoration of the mid-nineteenth century, there are many examples where every soldier was killed in defense of the castle. In some cases only the lord of the castle committed suicide, while the soldiers (samurai) lived. In the early years of Meiji, Tokugawa supporters readily surrendered to the new Imperial Army. Since the Meiji Restoration, through the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and the China Incident of 1931, Japan had never lost a war. We also had never waged a war in which large forces were isolated from mainland support. Thus, not to be taken prisoner became a fixed principle---part of our military education. Since the middle of the Greater East Asia War, most Japanese garrisons in the Pacific islands adhered to this supreme Japanese principle: 'Never surrender to the enemy.' Officers and men usually committed suicide, as a last resort to avoid the ultimate 'shame of capture."
Excerpt from the Battle of Okinawa by Ted Tsukiyama

 

• Since the Japanese supposed that they must never surrender to the enemy, it made them an especially challenging enemy to fight because of their ferocious and keen determination and agression in war. They'd fight with all their honor and energy, and would commit suicide instead of bearing the shame of being captured by the enemy.

 

• This might alarm other countries' military strategies, in which they had to come up with other tactics to deal with this harsh principle. Since the Japanese would not let themselves be captured under any circumstance, their fighting and killing were more fierce in order to keep their army on the offensive side. Therefore, their opponents must rather be careful with abundant back-up plans in order to defend themselves.

 

• This would definitely have caused the Japanese to treat prisoners of war that they captured differently because they considered themselves more superior. Based on their endless victory previously, plus their fierce fighting spirit, the Japan would be the type to harass those whom they thought were more inferior.