The Japanese expansionism during the first part of the Showa Era: 1926-1945

Résumé du document

In 1926, Hirohito, the grandson of the Meiji emperor, reached the throne and chose Showa ("enlightened Peace") as the official name of his reign. However, the General Tanaka Giichi became Prime Minister in 1927, confirming the dominating role of the army. The fast industrialization of the country involved a strong growth of the production. In front of the insufficiency of its outlets on the domestic market, Japan took back its policy of aggressive expansion with regard to China. Having doubled its population since 1868, Japan argued soon in favour of an extension of space and its resources. That period was deeply marked with a great sense of nationalism. That subject is a very vast one, and leads to the development of many concepts, events, even controversies, and their consequences. Thus, I will first define the contextual background around that period. Then, I will deal with the main conflicts led by Japan which illustrate the expansionism of the country (but I won't depict precisely the battles during the conflicts-only the main facts-, since this essay is not about war strategies but more about the Japanese expansionist ideology and strategy).

Extraits

[...] On September 18th the Japanese army took over the arsenals of Moukden (Shenyang) and several close cities. The Chinese troops had to withdrawn. Without official approval on behalf of the emperor and Japanese government - and often exceeding the desires of the imperial staff the army of Guandong extended the theatre of its operations to all Manchuria and, in approximately five months, controlled the whole of the area. Impregnated by the expansionist ideal preached by ultranationalists companies like the Black Dragon Company, the officers ensured with zeal the protection of the national interests by the conquest, without worrying about the directives of the politicians. [...]

[...] The Japanese people being considered genetically higher, several eugenic measurements were set by the successive governments of the Showa era with an aim of maintaining this superiority. Thus, the government of Fumimaro Konoe promulgated a national Law on Eugenics which ordered sterilization of the mentally disabled or "deviants" and prohibited the use of the contraceptives means. The government of Naruhiko Higashikuni founded one of the last eugenic measures of the regime. On August 19th 1945, the ministry for the Domestic affairs ordered the creation of a prostitution service to "contain the lunatic frenzy of the occupation troops as to preserve the purity of our race." Clubs of this type were quickly set up by Yoshio Kodama and Ryoichi Sasakawa. [...]

[...] From May to August 1945, the allied bombardments intensified, devastating several cities, destroying the communications, the factories and what remained from the navy. At the time of the Potsdam conference (from July- 2nd to 17th August 1945), the Allies required an unconditional rendering of the Japanese government. Then, on August 6th the first atomic bomb was released on the town of Hiroshima. Two days later, August the USSR declared the war in Japan, and on August 9th, one second atomic bomb was launched on Nagasaki. The Soviet armies invaded Manchuria, the north of Korea and Sakhaline. [...]

[...] The Japanese expansionism during the first part of the Shōwa Era: 1926-1945 Introduction In 1926, Hirohito, the grandson of the Meiji emperor, reached the throne and chose Showa ("enlightened Peace") as official name of reign. However, the General Tanaka Giichi became Prime Minister in 1927, confirming the dominating role of the army. The fast industrialization of the country involved a strong growth of the production. In front of the insufficiency of its outlets on the domestic market, Japan took back its policy of aggressive expansion with regard to China. [...]

[...] Article 11th stipulated in addition that "the Emperor has the supreme command of the Army and the Navy”. To assist it in his task, the emperor could count on the Minister for the Army and the Minister for the Navy as on two chiefs of general staff. To these officers were added the general inspector of the military training and the general inspector of aviation.¶ The imperial headquarter also had an information division which ensured the control of information and the war propaganda, in particular by feeding the written and radio media. [...]