Hawaii was seen as a way to dominate the Pacific. The League of Nations condemned Japans Manchuria invasion after the Sino-Japanese conflict, separating them from their fellow league members and the major European powers. Japan, with its growing population in an archipelago that was isolated from the rest of the world and lacking natural resources, wanted to expand their territory for military power. Japan invaded Manchuria in order to accommodate their growing population. Japan invaded Manchuria to accommodate its growing population. US supported China to curtail Japanese expansion and also declared an embargo over natural resources. Japan was furious that America supported China, and they knew an embargo could cause serious problems for them if nothing was done. The day of Infamy was soon known as this preemptive strike against America. Japan was constantly mistreated and left out during the interwar period. It could have been due to racism or their exclusion because of their unequal participation during WWI. According to Josh Axelrod, “Japan requested, and almost got approved, an equality clause in the Treaty which would have affirmed that all nations are equal, regardless of race.” However, the clause was not proved, and this incident made Japan unhappy and isolated them from other League powers. China, after Japan’s invasion of Manchuria demanded an investigation into Japan and that it be removed from the league. Chris Trueman tells us the League established a commission of inquiry and that they “concluded Japan must leave Manchuria”. A commission of inquiry was established by the League and historian Chris Truman tells us that they “concluded Japan must leave Manchuria”. Japan’s goal was to dominate Asia and Pacific. But at the time, it also sought to address the economic problems they faced after the Great Depression. Axelrod claims that Japan, “attempted” to take over more land in order to assert their power globally. Manchuria is the case. Manchuria, with its rich soils, abundant natural resources and a shrinking market for Japanese goods is why the Japanese valued it so highly. Yeboah says that the Japanese were engrossed in nationalism and militarism, and saw the Manchuria invasion as their ticket to success, despite the reactions of other countries. Japan’s invasion in Manchuria was a shock to the entire world. This was not a trick and people felt threatened. After China requested that Japan remove its military, The League of Nations offered Japan verbal warnings, but this did not work. Japan became even more angry. After a long and thorough investigation, the League of Nations concluded that Japan should withdraw their navy and Manchuria be run like a semi-independent nation. The historian Chris Trueman says that in this case, “the League could not enforce their authority.” Japan paid little attention to the League’s words and decided to resign and occupied Manchuria for 14 years following the initial invasion. United States of America observed that there was no difference in the rise of Japan and saw it as their duty to curb the expansion of Japan’s empire. As soon as Japan officially left League of Nations they took it into their own hand to stop them from expanding into Asian Nations. Yaboah reveals that, by the 1930s, Japan only produced 7% of its oil consumption. In fact, it imported the remaining 80%, mainly from the US. The other 10% came from Dutch East Indies. The US government created embargos. Japans assets and oil in the US was also frozen. The United States did not just impose embargos upon Japan. They also provided China with financial and armed aid when Japan attacked China in the Sino Japanese war. The United States also prohibited the export of steel and iron, two valuable materials for war, angering the Japanese leaders. Japan responded by signing the Tripartite Agreement with Germany and Italy to gain greater control over their empire. Japan wanted to establish itself as the leading military power in Asia, but the US embargoes against China, and the freezing of Japans assets, were the final straw. They decided to attack the largest US naval base in Hawaii to get revenge, and also to open the door to expanding their empire. Japan was at a boiling point with the United States after years of tension. To end the conflict and to win, Japan decided to attack the US Navy and cause as much destruction as possible. Japan resigned from the League of Nations after being treated badly for years. Japan did not wish to be ruled by these opposing powers as it was Japans desire to expand its empire, show their military might and nationalist sentiment. All felt threatened when the League of Nations reacted, but nothing they did could stop Japan from leaving the League and making their own decisions. The United States played the largest role in the war by doing everything they could to anger Japan. They placed embargos on important war materials. They also frozen Japan’s assets. Japan, at a low point, saw this as the only way to inflict maximum damage on the United States’ main naval base and prove Japan’s military and imperial strength and dominance of the Pacific.
Japan’s Invasion Of Manchuria – An Example Of Ineffectiveness Of The League Of Nations Politics
