Japan’s road to war
By PAUL SIWar came to Malaya on Dec 8, 1941. But, just as there were many events taking place over many years that eventually led to all-out conflict in Europe, there had been fighting between nations long before the official start of the Second World War.
After coming into contact with the Western powers in the middle of the 19th century and seeing how their military might enabled them to humiliate once-powerful Asian nations like China, the Japanese were determined to catch up.
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Japanese soldiers using Chinese prisoners for bayonet practice during the brutal invasion that started in 1937. |
That new-found power was soon put to the test when it clashed with China over influence in Korea, leading to the Sino-Japanese War in 1894-95. Japan defeated China but Russia, France and Germany intervened, forcing Japan to give up the territories it had captured.
The so-called “Triple Intervention” highlighted the fact that Japan was still not strong enough to match the West, and the Japanese army and navy became even more determined to intensify their modernisation and expansion.
In 1904, Japan again went to war, this time taking on and beating the Russians in a dispute over Korea and Manchuria. It was the first time since the days of the Mongols that an Asian country had triumphed over a Western power.
The Japanese army gained not only territory but, more importantly, international respect. Japan further increased her influence on Korea and annexed her completely in 1910.
Japan’s influence over Manchuria also grew until, in 1931, Japanese troops invaded and took control of the territory. In the following year, Japan declared the region an independent state called Manchukuo, and installed a puppet government.
The League of Nations, which was formed after the First World War as an avenue to settle international disputes peacefully, condemned Japan’s act of aggression. Japan responded by pulling out of the organisation in 1933.
In comparing Japan’s aggressive behaviour with the resurgence of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, one major difference is that the Japanese military had not tasted defeat in all its ventures.
Whereas the First World War had left many Germans resentful and eager for revenge, the Japanese had known only growing success since embarking on their quest to modernise. With each successful acquisition of territory by force, Japan’s appetite for territorial expansion grew.
Japan also resented the attitude of the Western powers, which had no qualms about taking over other weaker countries as colonies but refused to allow an allied Asian power to do the same.
The West was “shocked, shocked” that Japan would embark upon a course of “aggression”. One Japanese diplomat was quoted as saying: “Just when we learn how to play poker, they change the game to bridge.”
Japan had also been a valuable member of the victorious Allies in the First World War but was denied what it saw as its fair share of the spoils of victory. The United States rejected Japan’s claim to German concessions in Shantung, which the Japanese had captured.
On July 7, 1937, a company of Japanese troops, who were searching for a missing man, demanded entry into the walled town of Wanping, near Beijing. The Chinese guards refused to let them in, leading to a gunfight.
Incidents such as this had been common but, this time, the Japanese military seemed determined not to let it go. Tensions mounted and, by the middle of August, war had broken out between Japan and China.
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The battleship USS Arizonaa blaze at Pearl Harbour after the surprise attack by Japanese warplanes. |
The brutality of Japanese actions in China, including incidents such as the infamous “Rape of Nanking”, outraged the West.
The Americans and British were reluctant to get directly involved in the war but they began supplying weapons and equipment to the Chinese.
From a military perspective, Japan was remarkably successful. Although the Chinese had fought hard, by the end of 1938, Japan controlled all of China’s major cities and ports, half of China’s territory.
However, the Chinese did not surrender, and unlike Japan, China had no shortage of manpower. Although Japan had managed inflict nearly two million Chinese casualties, it had suffered 700,000 of its own.
In September, 1940, Japan took another step closer to global conflict when it joined Germany and Italy in the Axis by signing the Tripartite (Axis) Pact. At the time, Germany and Italy were already at war with Britain and France while the United States and Russia were still neutral.
When Hitler’s forces overran France and installed the pro-German Vichy government in France, Japan quickly demanded that the French grant the Japanese the right to station troops in Indochina.
Britain and the United States verbally opposed Japan’s occupation of Indo-China but neither power had either the means or the will to forcibly stop the Japanese.
Since the Netherlands had also fallen to the Nazis, the Dutch East Indies complied with Japanese demands to deliver raw materials.
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Tojo, the Japanese prime minister during World War II. |
On July 26, 1941, US President Roosevelt ordered the freezing of all Japanese funds and assets in the United States. The same day, the British cut off all trade with Japan.
These sanctions were a severe blow to Japan because it was completely dependent on imported raw materials. It was especially hit by the Americans’ decision to cut off all oil sales since Japan could produce only 10% of its needs.
The Japanese government came to the conclusion that it had only two choices – it must reach a settlement with the Americans before stockpiles of strategic materials were used up, or it had to go to war with the United States.
Diplomacy failed, and so on Dec 8, 1941, Japanese forces from bases in southern Indo-China invaded Siam and Malaya, and eventually overran Singapore, Burma, British Borneo, and the Netherlands East Indies.
At the time, Malaya was a plum prize because it was a major producer of rubber and tin, which were of strategic importance while the oil fields in Sarawak and Sabah were also obvious targets.
At about the same time (although the Americans remember it as Dec 7 because of the difference in time zones) Japanese carrier-based aircraft launched their attack against the American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbour.
Initially, many Asians thought it was inspiring to see other Asians, like the Japanese, decisively defeating their arrogant European masters, especially in humiliations such as the sinking of the British warships Prince of Wales and Repulse by Japanese torpedo bombers and the unexpectedly easy capture of the “impregnable fortress” of Singapore.
However, attitudes soon changed because of the harsh treatment Japanese occupation troops meted out to the local populations of captured lands over the next four years.
We urge readers who have firsthand memories of life in Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah during World War II, or know of friends and relatives who lived through those years, to share the information and help preserve the memories for posterity. Mementoes, artefacts, documents and photographs – which we will return – will also be most welcome. Please include a contact phone number and/or address with all material.
Mark all material “Revisiting WWII” and send to: The Star, Menara Star, 15, Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (fax: 03-79554039 / e-mail: ww2@thestar.com.my).
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