Why Did Japan Join World War 2 Essay

Japan Joins World War II World War II was one of the most massive, deadlist, known wars in human history. The war started in 1939 when Adolf Hitler ordered Germany to invade Poland, as part of the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The Allied Powers- Great Britian, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States, fought tirelessly against the Axis Powers- Germany, Italy, and Japan. This war was the first to utlizite advanced weaponry, such as machine guns, fighter jets, and warships. Japan created several powerful warships that posed a large threat to the Allied Powers. However, Japan wasn’t initially a part of the war from the start, only joining the Axis Powers 2 years later in 1941. Several factors led Japan to join this war such as, the consequences of

Japan was in an economic crisis- as most of the world was during the Great Depression- and government officals thought that conquering China would help their country recover. After all, China was rich in resources and gaining control of those resources could inevitably help Japan recover economically and help create new industries. On July 7th, 1937, Japan made their first strike at Beijing, and would countinue to successfully fight off Chinese forces throughout their onslaught of China, known as the Sino-Japanese War. While each skirmish was successful for the Japanese, it only made their problems worse. “Taxes rose. Food and fuel became scarce, and more and more young men were defeated.” (Bulliet, 763). These battles didn’t solve anything, it led to deaths after deaths, and a high use of food and fuel eventually made those rare for soldiers and commoners alike. While this war with China was supposed to bring forth a new era for Japan, it only sunked them down even further. Japan was left in a desperate, vulnerable

“Administration could now restrict the flow of military supplies into Japan and use this as leverage to force Japan to halt its aggression in China.” (Milestones: 1937–1945 - Office of the Historian) Japan was already in a state of desperation, and this act only made their acrinomy towards the United States grow into a malicious hatred towards the country. However, while Japan was confident they could defeat the United States in battle, they simply couldn’t start a war due to the country’s critical condition. In turn, Japan joined with the Axis Powers in order to combine their forces to eliminate the United States, as well as the rest of the Allied Powers. On September 27th, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, which promised, “‘the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe.’ In return, Germany and Italy recognized Japan’s right to establish a new order ‘in greater East Asia.’” (Axis Alliance in World War II) Japan saw this as a pivotal decision in order to achieve their goal of conquering Asia, and destroying the United