Economic and Political Causes of Japanese Aggression in World War II

This essay delves into the multifaceted causes of Japan's aggression during World War II. It examines the economic constraints, particularly the impact of the 1930s recession and subsequent trade restrictions, which fueled Japan's expansionist ambitions. The influence of the military on political decisions, the desire to establish economic dominance, and the belief in racial superiority are also explored as critical factors. The essay discusses Japan's strategic moves, including the establishment of a puppet state in Manchuria and its subsequent aggression in East Asia, highlighting the role of resource control and the pursuit of colonial expansion. The essay also examines the role of racial sentiments in Japan, the aggressive actions towards the USA and the ultimate defeat of Japan. The essay uses references to support the claims.

Foolish courage and economic constraints forced Japan to show Military Aggression
Japan’s aggression in the Second World War was an outcome of its trade-related constraints.
Factors like military influence over the democratic powers, selection of war as the means to
establish economic dominance and madness to prove a racial superiority over the western world
added fuel into the military ambitions of Japan.
When we study the history of Japan in the early ’30s of the same era, we find that after the great
recession of 1930s Japan left a strong mark in the textile and supplementary goods market of the
world where they defeated Britain and other countries in a price war. It was also the time when
Japan was running a puppet state in Manchuria by the virtue of its military power 1. To
consolidate its position in world trade, the Japanese government was planning to expand its
stakes in East Asia and some strategic locations in the western world. They were keen to practice
the western style of industrialization where the culture of forming colonies was rampant.
The aggression of Japan started in the early ’40s when China retaliated against the Japanese
sovereign and challenged its authority in the East Asian region, Japan faced a huge setback
because of this retaliation. At the same time, Britain and the USA also restricted the import of
Rubber, oil, and metal which were the biggest necessities of the country then. To come out of
this situation, Japan decided to show some aggression in some strategic areas to take control of
the trade by creating more colonies or puppet states. The motivations behind this military
aggression can be attributed to various political and racial factors as well. The influence of
1 Hilary Herbert.. Military Lessons of the Chino-Japanese War. The North American Review Vol.
160 , https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25103536.pdf. (1995)

military cadres over the political corridors created a sentiment in the country where the
procurement of “economic opportunities” instead of an “industrialization controlled by the
military powers” became the choice of the masses.
The racial sentiment in Japan was volatile during those days; the Japanese were keen to prove a
point that they are a superior race in comparison with the European and American people who
were busy setting the goals of life which were inspired by the feeling of the consumerism 2. The
cumulative impact of all these elements forced Japanese armies to launch successive attacks on
some soft spots like Pearl Harbor and others. Japan was in the state of “total war” during that
period, the rest of the countries was only supporting their allies from outside. However, the
rampant attacks on these soft targets created animosity against Japan which ended up in a
humiliating defeat for them.
2 Yukiko oshiro,. Imperial Eclipse: Japan's Strategic Thinking about Continental Asia before August
1945. Cornell Universtity Press , https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx598. (2013)

References
Hilary Herbert.. Military Lessons of the Chino-Japanese War. The North American Review Vol.
160 , https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25103536.pdf. (1995)
Yukiko oshiro,. Imperial Eclipse: Japan's Strategic Thinking about Continental Asia before
August 1945. Cornell Universtity Press ,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt1xx598. (2013)