History of Imperial Japan – World War II and Fall

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Do you know the history of Imperial Japan? How did it fall and what were the events during World War II? In this article, we will answer all these questions. We recommend that you read our article about Imperial Japan by clicking here.

In 1929, with the Great Depression caused by the stock market crash, Japan, like several other countries, was affected by the economic crisis and, to continue its industrialization, Japan had to import the necessary materials since there was a great shortage of these materials in the Japanese lands.

By importing iron, rubber, and oil from the Americans, Japan was able to recover economically and, to maintain this during an economic depression, the Japanese saw an opportunity to obtain such materials from China (more specifically in the Manchuria region).

The Second Sino-Japanese War

Under the pretext of liberating the Manchu people of that region, Japan invaded and conquered China in 1931, establishing a puppet state called Manchukuo.

In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, which was a terrible time for China to enter into war as the Chinese were already dealing with their own internal conflict, with nationalists and communists vying for control of the country.

During this conflict, the Empire of Japan committed an atrocity on December 13, 1937, which is still not well recognized by the Japanese themselves today, known as the Nanjing Massacre.

The episode occurred in the Chinese capital of Nanjing where the troops of the Imperial Japanese Army murdered a total of 300,000 soldiers and civilians and also committed rape and looting throughout Nanjing.

Pacts with the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy

During the years 1938 and 1939, Japan attempted to invade and take the lands of the Soviets; however, the Red Army managed to prevent the Japanese troops from advancing further and defeated the 7th Division and 23rd Division of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Seeing that invading the Soviet Union was futile and unfeasible, the Japanese signed a neutrality pact with the Soviets in 1941 to avoid future conflicts.

After the invasion of China and the atrocities committed by the Japanese in the country, the Americans began to turn against the Japanese and public opinion became unfavorable to Japan.

In 1940, Imperial Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and thus, the three countries became the Axis powers.

The Fall of the Japanese Empire

In 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor and hoping to destabilize the Americans, the Japanese saw an opportunity to extend their empire throughout Asia.

However, this proved to be the opposite as the Americans managed to recover from the attack in a short time and decided to declare war on Japan. As a result, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

In 1942, Japan began to suffer significant losses in battles on air, land, and sea. Japanese military strategists became aware of the unfavorable difference between the industrial potential of the Empire of Japan and that of the United States.

In 1943, Japan began to fight defensively and remained so for the rest of the war. By 1944, Allied forces had neutralized all Japanese strategic bases, leaving the Japanese economy in shambles and the country no longer able to supply its armies. Then, the Americans launched a bombing campaign against Japan, starting with incendiary bombs.

In 1945, with the intention of forcing the Japanese to surrender, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, respectively. With the war already lost, on August 15, 1945, the Empire of Japan surrendered to the United States, thus recognizing its defeat in World War II.

Post-war Japan

After Japan’s surrender, the United States occupied the country, initiating a process of reconstruction and demilitarization of Japan. As a result, the Empire of Japan was dissolved in 1947 and a new constitution was established, abolishing the Meiji Constitution of 1889, giving rise to Modern Japan.

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