How does Japan fit into WWII?What do you think Japan’s Motives are?• Land, resources and capital (POWER!)Japan’s Role after WWI:• 1920’s tried a democracy• Problem #1: weak civilian leaders- have

little control- Military reports directly to Emperor

• Problem #2: Global Depression HITS– Government Blamed for the problems– Military takes over– Do NOT try to set up a new

government– Military Rule- through government-

extreme Nationalism

Emperor Hirohito

Japanese Military Men

Japan Military Goals:1. Take over China and Asian Pacific2. Start through Manchuria

• rich in iron and coal• Set up a Puppet Government

(who else does this???)Problem:• League of Nations Says to Stop• Japan does not stop & pulls out of

League of Nations

3. 4 years later they attack China…..RAPE OF NANKING

4. Continue to strike through South Pacific to increase resources and land!!!

The Rape of Nanking

• On December 13 of 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army marched into China’s capital city of Nanking and murdered over half of the population. All in all over 300,000 men women and children were brutally killed. This horrible event lasted until March of 1938.

• The Rape of Nanking was a horrible event that was promoted by the Japanese government. After the murder of the POW they focused their animalistic hurt on the women of Nanking. From young girls of 8 to older women of 70 they were all sexually abused. Pregnant women were not spared.

• In some instances after pregnant women were raped they had their bellies slit open and the fetuses torn out. Sometimes after storming into a house and encountering a whole family the Japanese forced Chinese men to rape their own daughters, sons to rape their mothers and brothers their sisters, while the whole family was forced to watch.

• The soldiers also used bayonets , machine guns, live burial and fire. Decapitation was also a popular way to kill Chinese heads were fed to dogs. Women were raped, forced to perform bizarre sexual acts then Killed. Fathers were forced to rape their daughters, and sons, their mothers. Chinese men were forced to rape corpses. Competitions took place among the Japanese soldiers to see how many Chinese they could kill in one day

• This disgusting act occurred in the capital of China Nanking

U S Involvement• In exchange for their research on germ

warfare and human biology, the murderous actions of the Japanese in China and elsewhere in the Pacific would be ignored. That is why today most of us do not know about the horrible events that happened in Nanking.

Japan Becomes a Threat to the US!• August 1940 Americans crack

secret codes-finds out Japan plans to take the South East

Problem:

– If Japan takes European Colonies it then threatens the Islands controlled by the US (Philippines and Guam)

• Japan takes French Indo-China

• If you were the President of the US what would you do now?

• President Roosevelt cuts off oil supply to Japan

• Why do you suppose he does this?

Japan sees the U.S. as a threat!!Isoroku Yamamoto:• Brilliant Military Strategist• Sees Pearl Harbor as “…a

dagger at our throat!!!”• What does he mean by this?• Dec. 7 1941- Japanese

fighter planes bomb Pearl Harbor– In 2 hours, 10 ships, 8 battle

ships, and 2,400 men are gone!!

Japan and its Victories• Jan. 1942:

– Take down Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, East Indies, Java, Sumatra, Burma, and Borneo

• 1 Million Square Miles of land

• 150 million people controlled and treated cruelly

Military General Douglas Macarthur• Plans to Squeeze the

Japanese• Military tactic: Island

Hopping• Hop past strong points to

Islands not well defended, but closer to Japan

• CUT OFF SUPPLIES!!

“Hit them where they ain’t …let them die on the vine…”

The Tides Turn: Allies Strike Back!!

• Battle of Midway:– Japan targets the

Midway Islands (west of Hawaii)

– US plans surprise attack on Yamamoto

– Attack works! Huge defeat to Japan

– Turning point in the war for US

Battle in the Pacific

• Even though the war was over in Europe, US still were moving in on Japan.

• Battle of Leyte Gulf- MacArthur took over the Philippines and Japanese used kamikaze fighter pilots to destroy the American fleets

Taking the beach in Leyte and the Philippines

Iwo Jima

• March 1945 Americans took the island of Iwo Jima that was only 660 miles from Tokyo.

• April 1st troops moved into Okinawa only 350 miles from southern Japan.

• June 22nd the bloodiest land battle ended of the war ended.

How does the U.S. end this??• President Truman had a

decision to make-• either send US troops into

Japan with the possibility with losing ½ a million lives

• Or drop the bomb. • The A-bomb was during

the top secret Manhattan Project.

• What would you do?

Atomic Bomb

• President Truman had a decision to make- either send US troops into Japan with the possibility with losing ½ a million lives or drop the bomb.

• The A-bomb was during the top secret Manhattan Project.

A-Bomb Cont.

• Truman warned the Japanese, they did not reply, so on August 6, 1945 the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima killing 73,000 people.

• Three days later the US launched the second bomb on Nagasaki killing around 37,000 people.

• Japan surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur on September 2nd on the US battle ship the Missouri outside of Tokyo Bay

Hiroshima

Nagasaki

Effects of Japan’s Defeat• U.S. occupies Japan for Six Months

•U.S. forces Japan to Demilitarize

• Leaves only a small police force

•U.S. provides $ 2 Billion in Aide to rebuild (small amount considering the devastation)

• American Political Advisors create a constitution

•Emperors Powers Reduced

•Constitutional Monarchy

•Two-house Parliament

• Men and Women over the age of 20 can vote

Enemies BecomeAllies!!