As ruthless dictators came to power in Europe, a new threat began to rise in the Far East. How and why did Japan emerge as a military power during the 1920s and ‘30s? For much of its history, warriors had been the most respected members of Japanese society.
The Samurai were the highest social class, and their devotion to the emperor was unquestioned. However, over time, this tradition had broken down, and by the 1920s, democratic principles had taken hold in Japanese life. Japan experienced great economic success in the 1920s, and the victories of the Democratic allies in World War I led many to believe that democracy was the wave of the future.
This changed with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. Japan, with very limited resources, was devastated by the Great Depression. The economic prosperity the island nation had experienced depended heavily on foreign trade, with Japan exporting luxury items, such as silk, in exchange for essential products such as coal and oil.
When the world economy collapsed, Japan’s silk market crashed. With millions of Japanese facing starvation, ambitious nationalists claimed that the embracement of Western values had caused the enormous levels of suffering. High-ranking military officers argued that the problems the nation faced were due to a lack of space and resources.
With 65 million people crowded on four tiny islands, officers insisted that Japan needed to expand their empire via conquest and colonization. From their bases in Korea, Japan hoped to expand into a section of China known as Manchuria, arguing that the region had everything Japan needed. Manchuria offered land for farming, room to colonize, and a rich array of resources.
In 1931, a bomb planted by Japanese soldiers destroyed a section of a Japanese-controlled railway in Manchuria. Japan presented it to the world as an unprovoked attack by the Chinese army, and Japanese troops flooded into Manchuria. Within a matter of months, Manchuria became a protectorate of Japan.
Manchuria, roughly the size of Germany and France combined, became the prime source of iron, steel, and coal for Japan. After their success in Manchuria, military leaders increased their influence and control over Japanese society. They assassinated two prime ministers, arrested government officials, and imposed harsh censorship.
They used the schools and the media to present propaganda on behalf of the new government. In 1937, Japan invaded China proper, capturing several major cities. China, the world’s most populated country, seemed helpless to stop the Japanese advances.
The League of Nations, aware of Japan’s immense brutality in China, offered little support to Chinese requests for assistance. When the Japanese delegate to the League was asked to explain the actions of his nation, he called the French and British hypocrites, noting that their countries had been the first to acquire interests in China. Following this exchange, Japan walked out of the League of Nations.
Meanwhile, Japan’s stunning successes in China firmly established the military’s influence over the emperor and his government.
