1. Japan
The Interwar Years (1919-
1939)

2. 1920s
• end of WWI
• economic challenges
–industrialization
–few natural resources
–international tariffs
–need for expansion

3. Social Changes
• feudal agriculture → urban
industrial
• universal education
• western influence
–politics
–questioning traditional Japanese
beliefs
–military upset w/ this

4. Military Influence
• Great Depression hits Japan
(1929)
–civilians look to military for
leadership
• military
–nationalist
–united under emperor
–military leadership

5. Emperor Hirohito

6. Japanese Aggression
• modern war
–relies on technology and industry
–2 problems
1. lack of industrial capacity
2. navy size limited
• promotes “fighting spirit”
• military takes over

7. Manchurian Incident
(1931)
• Japan invades China
• Manchuria – resource-rich region in China
– relieve Japanese reliance on West
– compete w/ industrial nations
• Japan takes over
– called Manchukuo
• international condemnation
– 1933 – Japan leaves League of Nations
– 1934 – disagrees to limit navy size

9. Late 1930s
• 1936 – Anti-Comintern Pact
–w/ Germany
–opposes spread of communism
• Second Sino-Japanese War
–vs. China
–ended w/ WWII
–1937 – Nanjing Massacre

10. Nanjing Massacre
(1937)
• aka “Rape of Nanjing”
• Nanjing – former capital of the
Republic of China
• rape, murder, pillage, etc.
• 100,000-300,000 deaths