What did Japan fear in WW2?

Japan's fear of being colonized and the government's expansionist policies led to its own imperialism in Asia and the Pacific to join the great powers, all of which were Western nations. The Japanese government saw the need to be a colonial power to be modern and therefore Western.

Who was Japan scared of in ww2?

The impact of the Soviet invasion comes through in the words of Japan's wartime prime minister, Kantaro Suzuki, urging his Cabinet to surrender. He is quoted in Hasegawa's book as saying: "If we miss [the chance] today, the Soviet Union will take not only Manchuria, Korea and Sakhalin, but also Hokkaido.

What was Japan's biggest mistake in ww2?

One of the biggest mistakes the Japanese made was not destroying the smallest American ships in Pearl: our submarines. They survived and put to sea to destroy more Japanese tonnage during the war than the Americans lost at Pearl Harbor. And the biggest mistake of all? Underestimating the American public.

What problems did Japan face during ww2?

The destruction of the Japanese navy and air force jeopardized the home islands. By the end of the war, Japan's cities were destroyed, its stockpiles exhausted, and its industrial capacity gutted. The government stood without prestige or respect.

What were Japan's weaknesses in ww2?

Japan's wood and paper cities were particularly vulnerable to stragegic bombing. But of all Japan's weaknesses, the most important was the almost total lack of critcal natural resorces. They obtained some resources in Korea and Manchuria, but not what they needed for war with America and no oil.

How Do the Japanese Teach About WWII?

What was Japan's greatest weakness?

From 1937 to 1941 the Chinese war had cost Japan many billions of dollars and at least a million casualties. In return for this heavy investment, the Japanese expected great gains. Economic resources were at a low ebb; this was the chief weakness.

Why were the Japanese so harsh in WW2?

The answer almost certainly lies in the deeply militaristic and authoritarian character of Japanese society prior to 1945, and the culture of extreme brutality, fanaticism and racism that was deliberately encouraged in the Japanese military during the 1930s.

How do the Japanese feel about WW2?

What do Japanese today think about World War II? I agree with the other answer, many Japanese people ( especially the "younger" generations) are pacifists and feels strongly against the repetition of wars because of WW2, but the reason behind it is different from what many people may think.

What did Japan want in WW2?

Faced with severe shortages of oil and other natural resources and driven by the ambition to displace the United States as the dominant Pacific power, Japan decided to attack the United States and British forces in Asia and seize the resources of Southeast Asia.

Did Japan apologize to China for WWII?

September 29, 1972: Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka said to the people of the People's Republic of China: "The Japanese side is keenly conscious of the responsibility for the serious damage that Japan caused in the past to the Chinese people through war, and deeply reproaches itself.

Did Japan think they could beat the US?

And although the Japanese government never believed it could defeat the United States, it did intend to negotiate an end to the war on favorable terms. It hoped that by attacking the fleet at Pearl Harbor it could delay American intervention, gaining time to solidify its Asian empire.

Did Japan regret Pearl Harbor?

Abe's Pearl Harbor speech has been well received in Japan, where most people expressed the opinion that it struck the right balance of regret that the Pacific war occurred, but offered no apologies. Julian Ryall reports.

Did Russia ever fight Japan?

The Russo-Japanese War was a military conflict fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan from 1904 to 1905. Much of the fighting took place in what is now northeastern China. The Russo-Japanese War was also a naval conflict, with ships exchanging fire in the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula.

What was Hitler's reaction to Pearl Harbor?

The attack on Pearl Harbor had impacts far beyond the United States. Hitler applauded the attack and declared war on the United States—a maneuver historians believe was his greatest error in judgment.

Why did Japan fear the US?

Japan's fear of being colonized and the government's expansionist policies led to its own imperialism in Asia and the Pacific to join the great powers, all of which were Western nations. The Japanese government saw the need to be a colonial power to be modern and therefore Western.

Do they teach WWII in Japan?

The Ministry of Education's guidelines for junior high schools state that all children must be taught about Japan's "historical relations with its Asian neighbours and the catastrophic damage caused by the World War II to humanity at large".

How do Germans feel about WWII?

As the generation that elected Adolf Hitler and fought his genocidal war dies away, most Germans today see World War II through the prism of guilt, responsibility and atonement. And almost all agree that the defeat of the Nazis was a good thing.

What do the Japanese call World War 2?

Japan used the name Greater East Asia War (大東亜戦争, Dai Tō-A Sensō), as chosen by a cabinet decision on 10 December 1941, to refer to both the war with the Western Allies and the ongoing war in China.

Did Japan get punished after WW2?

The first phase, roughly from the end of the war in 1945 through 1947, involved the most fundamental changes for the Japanese Government and society. The Allies punished Japan for its past militarism and expansion by convening war crimes trials in Tokyo.

Has Japan ever lost a war?

For the Japanese, surrender was unthinkable—Japan had never been successfully invaded or lost a war in its history.

Why can't Japan declare war?

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (日本国憲法第9条, Nihon koku kenpō dai kyū-jō) is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. The Constitution came into effect on 3 May 1947, following World War II.

What country was the most brutal in ww2?

Who suffered the most damage in ww2? The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the war, including 8.7 million military and 19 million civilians. This represents the most military deaths of any nation by a large margin.

How brutal were the samurai?

While the samurai were famous for their ability to kill with their long swords, they also turned violence inwards on themselves, sometimes at their own initiative and sometimes by compulsion, through the practice of seppuku.

How brutal were the Japanese during WWII?

This book documents Japanese atrocities in World War II, including cannibalism, the slaughter and starvation of prisoners of war, rape and enforced prostitution, the murder of noncombatants, and biological warfare experiments.