Japanese Expansianism
Japan continued to grow both politically and economically after the end of World War I. This growth threatened the interests of both the United States and the British Empire who attempted to slow down Japan’s rapid growth by initiating sanctions against Japan. One action taken was forcing Japan to accept a naval treaty in 1921 at the Washington Conference limiting the number of warships that Japan could build. The treaty stated that for every 5 tons of warships that the United States and Great Britain commissioned the Japanese could commission 3 tons. This might seem trivial but it kept the United States and Great Britain in a position to limit the Japanese control of the seas especially in the Pacific Ocean were both of these countries had significant interest.
In 1924 Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) which limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. This act also completely excluded immigrants from Asia which included Japan. The Japanese government perceived this as a great insult and the United States – Japanese relationship was strained even further.
Japan continued to grow both politically and economically after the end of World War I. This growth threatened the interests of both the United States and the British Empire who attempted to slow down Japan’s rapid growth by initiating sanctions against Japan. One action taken was forcing Japan to accept a naval treaty in 1921 at the Washington Conference limiting the number of warships that Japan could build. The treaty stated that for every 5 tons of warships that the United States and Great Britain commissioned the Japanese could commission 3 tons. This might seem trivial but it kept the United States and Great Britain in a position to limit the Japanese control of the seas especially in the Pacific Ocean were both of these countries had significant interest.
In 1924 Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) which limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. This act also completely excluded immigrants from Asia which included Japan. The Japanese government perceived this as a great insult and the United States – Japanese relationship was strained even further.
In 1926 Hirohito becomes Emperor of Japan and the Japanese economy begins to recover until world wide recession and depression hits in 1929.
During this extended recession the Japanese politicians begin to lose power and the Japanese Army begins to act on their own without the permission of the Japanese government. In 1931 the Japanese Army claiming to have seen Chinese saboteurs planting explosives near a Japanese held stronghold and using this as an excuse invaded and captured the Chinese city of Muckden which was in the Manchurian province of China. By the end of December 1931 the Japanese Army had seized control of the province of Manchuria. The Japanese Army continued to gain influence over the country and took control. The civilian politicians still maintained their office as the nominal rulers of Japan but it was Japanese Army that remained in control.
The Japanese Army decided to expand further into China and in 1936 China was forced to accept Japanese occupation of Fengtai near Beijing. This would lead to full scale invasion of China by the Japanese although there was no official declaration of war.
In July 1941 Japanese troops attacked on occupied French Indo-China. The United States viewing this as a direct threat to their interest in the Pacific banned exports of oil to Japan. Japan depended on the United States for over 80% of her oil needs and by the United States refusing to continue to sell oil to Japan would greatly cripple Japan’s capability as a world power. Japan had two options at this point either admit that they were at the mercy of United States policy or go to war to obtain the natural resources it so desperately needed to survive. Japan chooses to go to war and attacked Pearl Harbor, HI on December 7th 1941.