PP Notes Japan

The West used Asia for her resources The 19thcentury saw China being divided up by the west, a sort of warning to Japan. Japan adapted by adopting Western ideas and models in a short amount of time For example, Military ideas: Navy developed ‘dreadnaught’ battleship in 1905 - a year before HMS Dreadnaught was started in Britain. Japan used military to promote interests abroad. China was defeated in battle in 1894-5, giving Japan control of the mainland and Taiwan. This was the First Sino-Japanese War. (Sino=Chinese) Zhang Zuolin was warlord of Manchuria 1916-1928. Sympathetic to Chiang Kaishek and the new China A Japanese officer planted a bomb in his private train and assassinated him Chinese Emperor Pu Yi was made a puppet ruler for Japan in Manchukuo Manchukuo (land of the ‘Manchu’) Emperor Showa of Japan. Total and complete control over from his subjects and the military He was responsible the wars and conflict with China and the West In 1945, General MacArthur protected him from trail for war crimes to keep the Japanese people satisfied Prime Minister of Japan and primary military leader. Rose to power in the Manchukuo ‘Kwantung’ army Nicknamed the ‘razor’ Keen on ultra nationalistic secret societies. Responsible for 8M civilian deaths, countless deaths and experiments on prisoners of war. Commemorated at the Yasukuni Shrine. Apologized for military atrocities on his death. Executed for war crimes 1948 The Japanese army gradually crept Southward, through China, fighting all the way. 1937 the Japanese army clashed with the Chinese at the gates of Beijing (the Marco Polo Bridge). - Some groups welcomed Japan as liberators from western Imperialists - But soon Japan was seen as new imperialists, and feared Non-Japanese people were treated with cruelty and severity Much faster and more maneuverable than any other fighter at the time. Old battleships were made obsolete by the use of planes Pacific naval wars were to be decided by planes not by gunned ships Soldiers, highly skilled in attack, defence, and jungle warfare Highly motivated to defend their Emperor and their land By November 1941 the Japanese were positioned to strike Australia Campaigns to attack Burma and Midway Island were a prelude to this The bombing of Darwin was a precursor of the invasion The British government- alarmed at the rapid Japanese advance-decided to send warships to meet the Japanese England ignored the navy’s concern and warning about the danger of planes (sink ships easily) Both ships were sunk by over 100 Japanese planes It was a major blow to England US warships sinking at anchor. Japanese carrier planes ready to take off. Only luck kept this ship out of Pearl Harbour on the 7th. She arrived the following day. She was to lead the US Navy back into the fight in the Pacific. Heavy fighting. The Japanese pushed out British forces by superior jungle fighting techniques. The British reliance on motor vehicles was exploited as a weakness by simple tree-felled road blocks. The Japanese prepared to attack India The British counter attacked in Arakan but were again beaten The British adopted new techniques. Instead of trying to hold territory generally they held well-defended ‘boxes’ of strategically important land. The Japanese found themselves unable to defeat their enemy and unable to utilize the land to their advantage. They also now found themselves dependent on long, very vulnerable supply routes. Battle of the ‘Admin Box’ was a British victory in 1944. The Japanese army had, at last, to retreat. Built with huge effort this road was a link between the allies in Burma and China. Vast amounts of supplies trucked over the mountains to help the fight against the Japanese. The Japanese army were allowed to run riotous. Up to 300,000 civilian Chinese deaths 1,000 rapes a day Hospital patients tortured. Soldiers bayoneted and shot people at will. Japanese soldiers use prisoners for bayonet practice. US aid to China included these Curtis fighter planes, the ‘Flying Tigers’ They actually had shark mouths painted on because it was thought the Japanese were afraid of sharks! -to make up for losses, the Japanese built the world’s largest aircraft carrier. Due to bombing it had to put to sea whilst still unfinished, and with workers onboard still building -it was sunk by a US submarine shortly afterwards, still incomplete. Despite battleships the Japanese were masters of defence. US marine casualties were horrendous at every island attacked. Japanese defenders inevitably fought to the death. The island where the film ‘flags of our fathers’ was set. Horrendous casualties on both sides Carrier battles were fierce. Japanese islands acted as permanent aircraft carriers If you crashed in the Pacific you were unlikely to be found / rescued. Another Kamikase hit on a US carrier. A US sailor commented ‘the fight might be tough on land, but you can’t dig foxholes in the sea’! Another US ship in flames. But replacements were already on there way. US anti-aircraft fire became monstrous. Kamikase attacks occurred all day and all night. Nerves were worn to shreds as combatants were unable to rest. This island is within bomber range of Japan. If it fell then Japan was at last vulnerable. Even the Yamato battleship is sent on a suicide mission (and is sunk) Delivered the first atomic bomb to the US air force in Tinian. July 30 1945 sunk by Japanese submarine off the Philippines on the way home. Because of her ‘special mission’ her journey was ‘secret’. Of 1200 crew members, 900 survived the sinking only to find themselves at sea with no rescuers even looking for them. Sharks were quickly attracted and after 4 days only 300 men were left, terrified and out of their minds. It was the worst US Navy disaster in history. The effect of ‘little boy’ Japan withdrew all forces from the Pacific and from the mainland. So widely scattered were soldiers, and so dedicated were they to their cause, that old soldiers were still coming out of hiding in 1972! Japan lost 2.5 million people in the war. China lost 10 million people. The Yasukuni shrine is still contentious. Hirohito refused to visit in his last years due to rumors that it housed Japan’s war criminals. The present day prime Minister still visits. The USA rebuilt Japan to enable it to recover as a source of American influence in Asia. The Atom bomb was seen as the crucial symbol of political power. The US considered using it on China but withheld