Japan And WWII Essay Sample

The Japanese actions in World War II really began with their invasion of China in 1937. In July of that year, Japan captures Beijing, the Chinese capital. After instigating a conflict with China, the USSR signed an agreement with China, in an effort to send material aid, and not join in the invasion. In doing this, China ended their period of cooperation with Germany. The Chinese attempted to defend their capital, but came up short as the Japanese forces pushed to Nanking and conquered it in December, 1937. The Japanese proceeded to then mercilessly kill thousands of Chinese people, and this conflict, known as the Second Sino-Japanese war, set the stage for a Japanese presence in WWII. The Japanese were major players in the war, as thye attempted to take on many of the world greatest powers. Their conflict with the United States was their most notable contribution to WWII, and will forever be tied to the controversial bombing that led to their surrender.
Japan had now proven they were a major player on the global stage, and even though their war with China reached a stalemate in 1940, they still had a major presence in the Pacific theatre. Because of their attacks on China, the United States had stopped trading efforts with Japan, including an aviation gasoline ban, which had strong negative effects on the Japanese economy. The US would impose further sanctions and embargoes on Japan after they occupied northern Indochina.
Because the Japanese found themselves on the side of Germany, due to the USSR’s treaty with China, Japan tried to put more pressure on the European powers in Southeast Asia. They were encouraged to do so due to the fact Germany was having successful efforts in capturing Europe. Japan proceeded to get into conflicts with the Dutch and British assets within Southeast Asia, which only further angered the major western powers, as they instituted a total oil embargo on Japan. Because this severely crippled the Japanese economy, talks began in 1941 between them and the United States. The United States wanted Japan to withdraw from China, and sign non-aggression pacts with every major player in the Pacific. Naturally, the Japanese decline and prepared for war. This would lead up to their inevitable attack against America.
The Japanese attack on America began on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. Japan had intended this to be a preventative measure, as they needed to weaken the US’s involvement in Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. However, the next day America declared war in Japan, and the war in the Pacific Theatre began with the United States. Japan really had little chance at defeating America, as they were outmanned, and not as economically powerful. Nevertheless, they made it difficult for the Americans as they forced them to go from one island to next, slowly working their way to the main island of Japan. One of the critical battles in the war was the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. Although the Japanese had American outnumbered, the US managed to win and take control of the island, marking a turning point in the war. Japan would never fully recover.
However, they still made it quite difficult for the Americans to get to the mainland, and there was no giving up in Japan. Because of this, the Americans decided to launch two atom bombs on the Japanese mainland. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit, and due to the devastating nature of the atom bomb, Japan had no choice but to surrender. The war with American ended on September 2, 1945. Their conflict with America leaves much historical impact, as the atom bomb’s controversial use will forever be associated with the Japanese-American conflict in WWII.