World War II: Japan

*Click on words in red to learn more about it.

Aggressive Fascist Ideology in Japan 1930's

fasces

Fascism:

It is an ideology wherein a dictator will take full control over the country.
Fascism came from the word fasces, a bundle of rods tied around an axe, which is also the ancient Roman symbol of authority.
Fascist movements include respect of the state and devotion to the leader, and an emphasis on ultranationalism and militarism.
Fascists believe that war is a positive force for improvement.

1920s and 1930s:

Japan were visited by members of European fascist parties, and some Japanese ideologists made an ideology borrowing the concepts of social justice mixed with militarism in proposing a single party dictatorship. The purpose of this ideology is to satisfy public needs and maintain control of the nation.
These ideologies led to the Asian Monroe Doctrine, stating that Japan has responsibility over Asia.

1935:

Because of fascism, Germany had a clear aim of rebuilding its army, which defies the Treaty of Versailles.

Expansion of Japan

Blue-Western Allies; Red-Soviet & Allies; Black-Axis

1939

September 1: Germany invades Poland, starting WWII.

Japan joins the Axis Powers, while China joins the Allies.

November 24: Japan captures Nanning in Southern China

1940

March 30: Japan established a puppet regime at Nanking, China, under Wang Jingwei

September 22: The Japanese occupy French Indochina.

September 27: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Italy, and Japan, promising mutual aid.

1941

August 1: The Japanese occupy Saigon, Vietnam.

December 7: Japan, led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, bombs Pearl Harbor, the naval base of the Americans, and declares war on the United States.

December 8: Japan bombs Clark Field in the Philippines, and many American aircraft are destroyed. United States officially declares war on Japan

December 11: Japan invades Burma.

December 12: The airfields at Laoang and Tuguegarao fall to the Japanese invaders.

December 16: Japan invades Borneo.

December 23: A landing attempt of the Japanese military on Wake Island is successful, and the Americans surrender after hours of fighting. General Douglas MacArthur declares Manila as an "Open City".

December 25: Hong Kong surrenders to Japan.

December 27: Manila falls to Japan.

1942

January 11: Japan captures Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.

January 20: Japan bombs Singapore.

January 25: Japan invades Solomon Islands.

February 15: Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces; this is arguably the most devastating loss in British military history.

March 14: U.S. troops retreat to Corregidor.

April 3: The Japanese attacked U.S. and Philippine troops in Bataan.

April 9: Bataan falls to Japan. The "Bataan Death March" begins.

May 5: Japan attacks Corregidor.

May 6: Corregidor falls to Japan.

June 3: Japan launches attack raids on Alaska in the Battle of Dutch Harbor.

June 4: The United States wins in the Battle of Midway against Japan.

August 31: the Japanese have completed their takeovers of the Caroline Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Marianas Islands and a portion of the Solomon Islands. This is the farthest that the Japanese Empire would reach in the Pacific.

1942 Japanese Empire

Events that led to the Defeat of Japan

After years of battling, Japan had suffered a great number of defeats, so Japan's Navy and Air Force were all destroyed.

July 26, 1945: The American and British governments issued the Potsdam Declaration announcing the terms for the surrender of Japan, but Japan rejected it the next day.

Potsdam Declaration

August 6, 1945: The United States drops the first atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.

August 9, 1945: The United States drops the second atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.

August 15, 1945: Emperor Hirohito announces Japan's unconditional surrender.

September 2, 1945: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This day is also called "V-J Day".

*That was the end of World War II*

Summary of WWII

After War

Japan lost all its colonies, and it was devastated. Almost all the industries and transportation networks were severely damaged. More than a million people died in Japan because of the war.
August 1945~April 1952--The occupation of Japan by the Allied Powers started, with General MacArthur as its first Supreme Commander in charge of the reconstruction of Japan.
Japan was allowed to keep its emperor, but the emperor had to renounce his divinity and follow Japan's new constitution.
May 3, 1947--Japan's new constitution became official.
1956--Japan's relations to the Soviet Union were normalized.
1960--The United States and Japan signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
1972--Japan's relations to China were normalized.

Accounts of the Witnesses of WWII

Commander Fuchida (Japanese): In the Battle of Midway: "I was horrified at the destruction that had been wrought in a matter of seconds...Reluctant tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched the fires spread, and I was terrified at the prospect of induced explosions which would surely doom the ship."
Dr. Michihiko Hashiya (Japanese): Bombing of Hiroshima: "Could I go on? I tried. It was all a nightmare - my wounds, the darkness, the road ahead. My movements were ever so slow; only my mind was running at top speed."
Dr. Lewis Haynes (American): The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis: "...we were in very bad shape...I knew we didn't have very long to go. The men were semicomatose. We were all on the verge of dying..."
Bill Mauldin (American): "No normal man who has smelled and associated with death ever wants to see any more of it..."
Marine Corporal E.C. Nightingale (American): Bombing of Pearl Harbor: "I started swimming for the pipe line which was about one hundred and fifty feet away. I was about half way when my strength gave out entirely. My clothes and shocked condition sapped my strength..."
Nicasio Aranas (Filipino): "...You would see people were all scared...I was terribly very happy when the war ended. I hate war. It's no good."

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statism_in_Sh%C5%8Dwa_Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_II#Fascism

http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/World-War-2-Timeline.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1939)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1940)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1941)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1942)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1944)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1945)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan

http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/japan-ww2-events-timeline.asp

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/08/07/why_did_japan_surrender/

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Chronology/timelinewwii.htm

http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/bigpicture/PostWarJapan.html

http://usforeignpolicy.about.com/od/asia/a/The-United-States-And-Japan-After-World-War-Ii.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2124.html

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/63994/15-year-old-student-interviews-war-veteran

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/indianapolis.htm

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/mauldin.htm

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/midway.htm

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hiroshima.htm

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm