Japanese Policies Leading to War Between 1890 and 1937
Japanese policies which led to war
Introduction
Japan came up with various policies within their country which was the cause of various wars which arose between it and other neighboring states. The major policy which contributed to conflict in japan was the policy of expansion in that japan had to do what it was for them to increase its territory. This was majorly through the acquisition in form of colonies and finally having the acquired state being under it to be ruled and also to show its power above other states. These decisions made by this state made them face lot of consequences which costed them very much. In the 1890 Japan came up with a constitutional policy under the reigning emperor combined with its mobile status drive them to an international status rising to a become among the world powerful state and which became the base cause of war with the United States and other states.
Policies
As in the 19th century most of the states were trying to copy the way the European states were doing their things, one of the requirement was the engagement of imperialism. This made Japan to target for imperialism because there was a feeling that not engaging in colonialism made a state look inferior.as Japan had not reformed like other states such as China, it was at a threat of being conquered by any European power which would have interest in it.
This gave s tagging ground for attacks and invasion of Japan. Japan’s lack of natural resources made it advantageous to acquire colonies. This was a disadvantage for those who were to be colonized. The Japan’s gain to the island of Taiwan as a colony along with the available of the trading rights with several other states such as Chinese cities which had been extended to the territories of the western powers became the cause of withdrawal. This sparked the beginning of the Japan’s colonial empire. In the process, there arose rivalry with the Russians in support of the Koreans and the state of Manchuria. This rivalry continued and in the 1904 it resulted to the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese war. Due to its great power, japan emerged victorious and they took the lease of the Liaodong Peninsula which was formally a Kwantung’s territory which came along with substantial rights which were in the control of the Manchuria rail road. The victory made japan to take Korea as protectorate in the year 1905.
Russia had no say to the action. China became a threat to japan and loosing anything to china was unacceptable to japan because japan had took a long period of time to end its associating to china. This was the policy of expansion in that they wanted an increase in their territory. In the 1930s there was steady increase in aggression in china which began with the invasion of Manchuria. This invasion culminated the outbreak for a total war between the two powers. The Japanese army invaded the Chinese province in order to expand its boundaries in the year 1932, setting up a puppet government. Japan wanted this part of Northern China called Manchuria due to availability of the great natural resources. Being a stronger state than china, Japan managed to acquire the province and took it as its own. In the year 1937, Japan launched an all-out invasion of China after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. This was the second Sino war which arose due to expansion policy and attracted the attention of Great Britain, the United States as well as other nations, and ended up with the defeat of Japan in 1945.
The initiation of the Open Door Policy statement by the US in the year 1899 and 1900 which demanding for trading freedom across all countries without any restrictions. The states involved were the Great Britain, China, Germany Russian, Italy and France. The principle came up with many various provisions such as that each power should have access to the treaty port, that only Chinese governments were the one to collect taxes and that no greater power should be exempted from paying the harbor dues or the associated rail road charges. In the year 1915, Japan violated this Open Door Principle issuing a 21 demand statement to China. This was the cause of the 1937 war broke out and the united states to make a firm stand for the support of the policy. The issue of the 21 demand finally became the base of japan to attack the United State harbor. This policy of foreign issues became the cause of conflicts. The US came in with a policy which majorly attacked the Japanese by refusing to recognize any Japanese conquests.
It also limited the economic sanction against japan and also limited the economic assistance which china may have acquired from them. In the interwar, the republic of china was much affected but it started getting together. This brought up the North Country to be under the control of the nationalistic governments which made the country even stronger.
Conclusion
Japanese policy of expansion put into conflict with other countries which were to be acquired to become part of the country and also with those that had the same interest in the states which were to be colonized and acquired as part of the colonizing state. Japan violation of the Open Door Policy statement also became the breeding point of various conflicts which eventually led to wars with the concerned states.
Bibliography
Hayes, Grace P. The History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in World War II: The War Against Japan. Vol. 1. Naval Inst Pr, 1982.
Reilly, James. “CHINA9S HISTORY ACTIVISTS AND THE WAR OF RESISTANCE AGAINST JAPAN: History in the Making.” Asian Survey 44, no. 2 (2004): 276-294.
Seraphim, Franziska. War memory and social politics in Japan, 1945-2005. Vol. 278. Harvard University Press, 2006.
Hayes, Grace P. The History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in World War II: The War Against Japan. Vol. 1. Naval Inst Pr, 1982.
Reilly, James. “CHINA9S HISTORY ACTIVISTS AND THE WAR OF RESISTANCE AGAINST JAPAN: History in the Making.” Asian Survey 44, no. 2 (2004): 276-294.
Seraphim, Franziska. War memory and social politics in Japan, 1945-2005. Vol. 278. Harvard University Press, 2006.
