U.S. Helps Japan

Japan & its Rebuilding After WWII

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• I can explain the role of the United States in the rebuilding of Japan after WWII.

​Japan's History

• 1800s & early 1900s - much of Asia had been colonized by Europeans and U.S. powers

  • the U.S. believed it was their duty to modernize and civilize Japan, similar to other European nations at this time

  • Japan did not like the Western influence & worked to remain isolated as a nation

• 1854 - Japan is intimidated into signing a trade agreement with the U.S.

  • this was the first of many "unequal treaties" between Japan and Western colonial powers

​Japan's History

• Pan-Asianism took root in Japan as a result of this foreign influence

• Goal of Pan-Asianism:

  • revisit unequal treaties

  • liberate Asian territory from Western control

  • establish a shared Asian culture

• Japan may not have liked the Western influence; however, they wanted to learn how to build its economic and military strength from the West

  • people were sent to the West to learn

​Japan's Growing Empire

• Late 1800s & early 1900s - Japan rapidly became an industrialized nation, established an elected parliament & built a powerful military

• 1895 - Japan entered war with China & gained control over Taiwan

• 1910 - Japan seized control of Korea

  • with these two victories, Japan established itself as a world power

• 1931 - Japan invaded China & took control of Manchuria

  • this created conflict with U.S. & Western nations who had economic interests in the region

• 1937 - Japan invaded China & occupied the capital, Nanjing

​Japan's Growing Empire

• As Japan became more militaristic, Japanese nationalism rose to a dangerous extreme

  • the Japanese government viewed their ethnicity & culture as being superior

  • while Japan claimed they were liberating Asian territories from Western influence, they were actually demonstrating imperialism & racism

• Rather than establish Asia as a place of shared Asian culture, Japanese nationalism led Japan to commit atrocities against the people of the Asian countries it occupied

​Nanjing Massacre

• The Nanjing Massacre stands as one of the most horrific examples of atrocities committed by the Japanese military as they occupied other Asian nations

• During the Nanjing massacre, Japanese soldiers conducted a systematic slaughter of more than 300,000 people

  • The Japanese soldiers were instructed to operate under the scorched Earth Three Alls policy of “kill all, burn all, loot all.”

  • They pillaged and burned many of the buildings, killed the men and boys, brutally attacked thousands of women and girls, and massacred entire families

Multiple Choice

Do you agree or disagree?

Japan treated its citizens and areas in took control of fairly.

• agree

• disagree

​Japanese Defeat in WWII

• In 1940 during WWII, Japan joined the Axis Powers, along with Germany & Italy, with hopes to expand its empire

• The U.S. responded with an embargo on Japan that cut off shipments of iron, steel, and fuel that Japan needed for its war efforts

• President Roosevelt also moved the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet to the base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

  • Japan viewed this move as a threat

• Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

  • the U.S. declared war against Japan on December 8, 1941

​Japanese Defeat in WWII

• Battles between the U.S. & Japan in and around the Pacific Ocean were hard fought and deadly

• In Japanese POW camps, U.S. soldiers were treated horribly and suffered extreme mistreatment

  • this went against the rules in the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War that said POWs must treated humanely

• Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, but Japan refused to surrender

• In order to end the war with Japan and prevent the death of more U.S. soldiers, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  • these bombs killed more than 240,000 people

  • Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945

​Japan Rebuilds with U.S. Help

• After WWII, the U.S. military occupied Japan from 1945 until 1952

• General Douglas MacArthur, who had commanded the Allied forces in the Pacific, oversaw the rebuilding of Japan

  • Japan’s military was disbanded, and its weapons factories were closed

  • Some Japanese government and military leaders were held accountable in the Tokyo War Crimes Trials for their war crimes

• General MacArthur & his team established a parliamentary democracy & wrote a new constitution

  • changes included the role of the empower and the military, as well as protection of women's rights

  • citizens now had rights, such as freedom of assembly, speech, and religion

Multiple Choice

Who helped to rebuild Japan?

• Great Britain

• France

• United States

• China

​Why Would the U.S. Help Japan?

• The U.S. invested billions of dollars in rebuilding Japan for several important reasons:

  • A friendly and democratic Japan would be a valuable trading partner going forward

  • The U.S. wanted a democratic government to counteract the spread of Communism in Southern & Eastern Asia

    • communism was growing in popularity in China, Korea, and Vietnam & the U.S. government saw this trend as a threat to global democracy and freedom

    • if Japan’s economy remained devastated by the war, then impoverished people in Japan could be drawn to Communism

• Because of the U.S., Japan's economy grew and the gvt remained democratic

• The United States and Japan have remained close allies and trade partners since the 1950s

Multiple Choice

What did the United States fear might happen if Japan’s economy remained weak?

• Japan would never pay back U.S. loans

• Japan would seek revenge on America for dropping atomic bombs

• The U.S. would not have access to many Japanese goods and services

• Poor Japanese citizens would support Communism as a solution to economic problems

Multiple Choice

What role did the United States decide to play in rebuilding Japan after World War II?

• made Japan pay war damages

• helped Japan form a new government & recover economically

• gave out free loans

• rebuilt the military

Multiple Choice

Was the United States successful in helping rebuild Japan’s economy?

• Yes

• No

Multiple Choice

What type of political system was created in Japan after the war?

• parliamentary democracy

• communist

• theocracy

• constitutional monarchy

Open Ended

How did the United States help rebuild Japan after WWII?