Japan's Road to Pearl Harbor

Japan's Road to Pearl Harbor

The Japan of the war era was one of isolation, expansion and fervor. This was a far cry from the observant and eager to be respected in the national arena Japan of the Meiji Restoration era. The proud island nation had become a growing empire with large aspirations. For the Japanese, war was never an option far out of reach. The conflicts with both Russia and China had bolstered the Japanese international reputation and nationalism. The road to Japan's entrance into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor was a result of many events in which Japan was pushed to the choice, but they forced their own choice. The attack on the United States by Japan was a result of Japan's internal political turmoil and poorly managed international relations.

Japanese history calls World War II the "15 Years War" because for the Japanese people, the fighting began in China and carried into the Pacific Theater. This period was marked by significant political unrest. The growing influence of the military on the government and simultaneously increasing instability of the Imperial Diet and party politics created an atmosphere for decisions leading to war. The Prime Minister of Japan was almost constantly resigning and with a new PM came a new cabinet. The resignation was almost always due to public riots or scandal. This public opinion stemmed from the insistent feelings that Japan still was not respected in the international realm. These feelings of the public were reinforced and made clear during arms limitation treaties. Japan was given a smaller ratio of battleships compared to that of the country's "allies." Disapproval of a cabinet often led to rioting and protest. Radical civilian groups and also radical factions of the military vied for power over the cabinet. This was not the only issue facing stability in government. Additionally, the military had a veritable veto of any cabinet at their disposal. Failing to replace a military advisor within any cabinet would force the cabinet to resign. This growing influence came to a head with the May 15th incident of 1932. Radical members of the navy and army led a coup d'état and assassinated Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi. This is considered the end of party politics in Japan because this final violent conflict was used by top military officials as an excuse to assume a more controlling role in government. After Inukai's assassination, a new cabinet was formed consisting of only five party members and ten of the top ranking military officials. This de facto militarism became the norm in Japan and the military's goals were put on priority, driving the country through decisions leading closer to war.

The keystone in the path to Pearl Harbor was the Manchurian Incident because of its consequences. The actions of several members of Japan's navy directly and indirectly led to Japan's involvement in World War II. While the actual carrying out of the self-bombing of Japan's railroad did not have immediate repercussions, the League of Nations took notice and arranged an investigation known as the "Lytton Commission." The ensuing "Lytton Report" did not include the cause of the incident, but did however present the facts surrounding the events afterwards. These conclusions and observations were included the notions that Japanese presence was