Essential Questions: Why did the Japanese pursue expansion in the late 1800�s? What changes in Japanese life occurred during rapid modernization? What effects did the military have on Japan during the 1920�s and the 1930�s?
I. Japanese Expansion
A. The Russo-Japanese War
1. Russian threat in Manchuria
a. In February 1904, Japan attacked and damaged the Russian Fleet
at Port Arthur in Manchuria
b. Soon after, the Japanese military pushed the Russians back
through Manchuria
B. The Treaty of Portsmouth 1905
1. Treaty ended the Russo-Japanese War
a. Russia agreed to withdraw all troops from Manchuria
b. The treaty also forced other nations to respect Japan�s strength
II. Problems of Modernization
A. Increasing Population
1. Industrialization brought higher standards of living and medical care
a. This increased population growth
-Cities grew rapidly, and every inch of suitable land was
cultivated
-The increased food supply could not match the rapid
population growth
B. Economic Trouble
1. Because of its small size, Japan did not have enough raw materials
a. As a result, it had to import them from other countries
b. To pay for the raw materials, Japan had to sell goods abroad
-Many countries put a tariff (tax) on Japanese products
C. Social Tensions
1. By 1920�s, new ideas from the West had changed Japanese attitudes
a. Workers organized unions
-Higher wages and better working conditions
b. Young university students argued that democracy was the wave
of the future
III. Military Influence
A. The constitution of 1889 gave military officers great power
1. Officers believed that Japan�s strength depended on it�s military
a. Throughout the 1920�s and 1930�s, Japan was increasingly
influenced by attitudes of militarism points of view
-A philosophy in which military needs, values and goals
shape a nation�s lifestyles and policies
b. In time, the government called for a larger army and navy
c. The growing influence of the military would have dire
consequences, not only for Japan, but for the rest of the world
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Japan Imperialism (Part II)
Essential Questions: Why did Japan carry out aggressive territorial policies in the 1930�s?
How did Japan�s goals in the Pacific lead to war with the United States?
IV. Japanese Aggression in Asia
A. In 1931 Japan took control of Manchuria (a province in China)
1. Japan was condemned by the League of Nations
a. However, the League did nothing to stop Japan
-This only encouraged the Japanese to extend its influence
throughout Asia ad the Pacific
B. By 1936, Japan had conquered Beijing (capital of China)
C. By 1939, the Japanese controlled about one fourth of China, including
seaports
V. Japanese Aggression in the Pacific
A. The Japanese saw an opportunity to extend their influence in Southeast Asia
1. Japan captured several small islands off the coast of French indo-China
B. The United states protested Japanese aggression in the Pacific
1. U.S. provided assistance to China
2. Placed an embargo on the sale of oil and scrap iron to Japan
a. This hurt Japanese-American relations
-Japan was now determined on getting oil from the Dutch
East Indies
-They realized that the U.S. was a threat to Japanese rule
VI. American Entry into the War
A. The Japanese felt that the best chance for victory was to knock out the U.S Pacific fleet
1. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise bombing raid on the
American naval base at Pearl Harbor
a. The plan was to cripple the American Pacific fleet so that the
U.S. would be unable to stop Japanese expansion in the Pacific
- Japan immediately took advantage of U.S.
unreadiness and went on to capture Guam, the
Phillipines, Luzon, Burma, Thailand, and Malaya