Pacific War Research Paper

Assess the extent to which Japanese foreign policy led to the Pacific war

Japans foreign policy was initially a response to western intimidation however it soon took on its own imperialistic traits that were backed heavily by new found nationalism. It was this nationalism that altered the balance of Japanese foreign policy and triggered the start of the Pacific War. It was this in conjunction with the instilled military dominance of political Japan and the string of disappointing foreign policy set backs that led to their adoption of more aggressive foreign measures, which can consequently be considered as a primary driving force on the road to the Pacific war.

When assessing the role of Japans foreign policy in the led up to the Pacific
This included the negotiations of the Anti- Comintern Pact with Germany and Italy in 1936, the institution of the miyazaki Plan 1936-37 which involved the expansion of heavy industry with the intention of enabling Japan to wage total war for at least three years and the undeclared second Sino- Japanese war -1937 and the consequent invasion of China its self. The latter is said to be the result of the Marco Polo bridge incident, where a Chinese patrol fired on Japanese troops in the area, however deeper more entrenched issued fuelled the invasion of China. For years prior the Japanese had implemented numerous policies which sought gain power in the turmoil of the Chinese civil wars, the battle cry of ‘Peking to Shanghai' went up long before the original action. The invasion of China also involved the horrific ‘rap off Yanghing' which was widely publicized in the US resulting in further condemnation and restrictions emplaced upon Japanese trade. Hence it can be said that Japans aggressive foreign policy towards China played a key role in the outbreak of the Sino- Japanese war, the invasion of China and consequently invasion of southern Asia which led to the start of the Pacific War with the
There resources were stretched too thin and she could not afford the ivestment essential to develop her own resources and those of her conquered nations, by 1939 70% of government was for the military. Never the less French- Indo China was invaded and occupied in 1940. This sparked further fear and condemnation from the US who now saw the Philippians under direct threat. This was manifested in the Two- Ocean Naval Expansion Act by US congress which was also enforced as a result of the fall of France in Europe. However in June 1940 the Japanese Imperial Navy reacted to American shipbuilding and launched full mobilization. "Imperial conquest was an ambition the rest of the World could no longer tolerate" this notion and in conjunction with Japans full mobilization resulted in the final trade ban by the US on Japanese oil that had been fuelling her war effort for over a decade. War was inevitable at this stage and the ‘preemptive strike' on Pearl Harbor was devised. The threat of Japan to the US was cemented in the negotiation of the non- aggression treaty between her and the Soviet Union. This final act of foreign policy was a clear indication of Japans soul imperialistic ambitions in the Pacific. Thus it was a culmination of both aggressive military action and nationalist policy in the form of the Non- Aggression treaty that was the final driving factor in the outbreak of War. The US' resulting