Japanese Foreign Policy In The Prewar Era History Essay

japanese Foreign Policy In The Prewarfare sequence History EssayDuring the early twentieth century, japan was confronted with growing pressures on its already scarce resources that compelled its leaders to pursue increasingly militaristic solutions. In fact, during the first half of the twentieth century, Japan engaged in a series of military adventures in Korea and China that were specifically designed to remediate the availability and reliability of its cut chains for vital resources. In the twenty-first century, some scholars may question whether these same coatings could not dedicate been achieved done change magnitude unknown trade rather than an expansionist policy. A polish examination of the conditions in which these events occurred, though, shows that the proximate cause for these impressions was the strategic naivet of the Japanese leading based on its past successes combined with internal political rivalries. To sterilize the facts, this paper provides a rev iew of the relevant literature concerning the causes of pre-war Japans policy of expansion, including an compend of the congeneric weight of various domestic and remote factors to determine whether it would bemuse been possible for pre-war Japanese leaders to pursue a pacificist trading-centered schema that would become the defining characteristic of postwar Japanese distant policy. A summary of the research and important findings are presented in the conclusion.Review and synopsisIn many ways, the exotic policy decisions that led to Japans attack on bone Harbor were based on the opportunistic expectation that prevailed among the nations lead that the nation would succeed in any military enterprise. This optimistic mindset was reenforce by several extraordinary events in the historical point that back up this view. fit in to Okazaki, Because the only two large-scale attempts at infringement of Japan in sayed Japanese history were both abrupt by typhoons, the Japanes e believe that they are a nation prosperous by God, and are optimistic about inter matter affairs to a greater degree than any other nation (p. 5). This assertion is back up by Satos observation that, A nations contrasted policy may presently or indirectly be affected by a miscellanea of factors including weather conditions.1(p. 369). In addition, Japans favorable geographical proximity also reinforced a mindset among Japanese political leaders that the nation was by nature protected from outsiders. In this regard, Sato emphasizes that, A distinctive feature in the international purlieu surrounding modern Japan is its relative isolation from and fringy position with reference to the humannesss major powers.2The Japanese leaders interpreted the countrys relative isolation and its historic relationships with its larger neighbors as being sufficient reason for a sentience of national guarantor. For instance, according to Okazaki, The historic background baron explain this Japanese attitude towards national security. Certainly Japan was inviolate because China, the traditionalistic superpower in eastmost Asia, maintained restraint on strange expeditions, including military ones, since the time that Japan entered international politics.3With the vivid geographic advantage, Japan was accustomed to its success in international relations and treasured to achieve what the western countries have Imperialism and Expansionism.This powerful combination of fortuitous weather-related events and geographic posture instilled the idea that Japan was destined for greater things into Japanese unlike policymakers, a perception that was reinforced by the Bushido work out and track record of military successes in the field. This type of outcome is congruent with Satos observation that national policymakers typically rely on their unique interpretation of these factors in formulating contradictory policy.4For example, Sato advises that, Factors with the potent ial for exercising long-term find out on a nations foreign policy may be divided into three groups the realities of the international environment and national power the attitudes within the society toward the international environment and the extra characteristics of a nations foreign policy formulation swear out.5With the foreign policy formulating process already skewed to fulfill the ending to be a stronger and imperialistic country, Japan was almost destined to go towards the Empire route and stick its conquest for more resources and power. Furthermore, the international environment at that time was already a heavily imperialistic one as most of the countries in Asia were already in the press out of colonization or something close to it. With these factors, the external and internal factors has heavily influence the long-term agenda for Japans foreign policy. more importantly for the formulation of pre-war Japanese foreign policy, this unique interpretation of world even ts and Japans destiny would have profound implications for choosing military solutions all over diplomatic ones during the pre-war era.6 by and by all, the historical record supported the expansionist view and Japans scotch security was at stake. For instance, Sato emphasizes that, Aside from the confrontation betwixt Japan and the Western powers over opening the doors of the country in the late Tokugawa period, the only instance of a direct threat to Japans security occurred when Russia advanced into Manchuria and promote increased its influence over Korea early in the twentieth century.7Saying Japan increased its influence over Korea early in the 20th century is homogeneous saying a drowning man has moist skin, though, and Japans formal annexation of its protectorate on the Korean peninsula in 1910 followed its victory in the Russo-Japanese warfare in 1905.8In verity, Korea was the keystone to Japanese expansionist policies during the first half of the 20th century due in la rge part to its strategic location between Russia to the north and China to the west. In fact, Okazaki emphasizes that, In all the wars involving Japan prior to World War II, the key strategic territory was the Korean peninsula. Even thirty years after the Korean War, deployment of U.S. forces in East Asia is centered on the Peninsula.9In this regard, Japanese expansionist policies during this period in history were not unlike the lebensraum, or living space policies utilize by Germany prior to and throughout World War II to brandish its geographic territory and access to valuable resources. For example, Barhart reports that, The roots of Japans aggressive, expansionist foreign policy have often been traced to its concern over acute economical vulnerability.10During the period immediately preceding the outbreak of World War II, a growing debate over the proper course of Japanese foreign policy drive toward national economic self-sufficiency was hampered by discordant internal an d external policies.11Despite growing pressure from the international companionship in general and the United States in picky, Japans foreign policy was shape as much by military leaders as civil politicians. According to Barnhart, Japans internal political dynamics, especially the bitter rivalry between its army and navy, played a far greater parting in propelling the nation into war with the United States than did its economic condition or even pressure from Washington.12The role of the military in shaping Japanese foreign policy pre-World War II is also cited by Snyder who advises, A belligerent, zero-sum approach to politics was deeply rooted in the Bushido code of the samurai and permeated traditional Japanese culture. Thus, the peaceable war was simply a Kurosawa epic in modern battle gear.13This seemingly plausible explanation, though, fails to take into account the role played by the political leadership during this formative period in Japanese history. By fixing the li ons share of the responsibility for Japans expansionist policies purely on the military, historians run the risk of overlooking the other salient forces that were at work in shaping pre-war Japanese foreign policy. In this regard, Snyder emphasizes that, The Bushido code obviously served as the legitimating ideology of a military ruling elite, not just a belief system. Moreover, it leaves unexplained huge variations in Japanese strategic thinking over time and across groups.14The contribution of Japanese political leaders in shaping pre-war foreign policy was highlighted by Pyle who describes the Meiji leaders as being tired of Japans economic backwardness and sense of inferiority to the West.15As a result, Japanese political leaders were amenable to reshaping their country in a modern image notwithstanding what these actions would have on Japanese culture. In this regard, Pyle emphasizes that the Japanese political leaders were on that pointfore ready and willing to sacrifice t ime-honored institutions to achieve their goals. The Meiji leaders espouse European legal codes, imported thousands of advisers, and built the most centralized state in Japanese history.16The Meiji leaders also fought wars with the dual goal of acquiring resources while doing so in an orderly and legal fashion that would consecrate Japan as an equal with Western nations.17Taken together, it is apparent that there were increasing internal rivalries between political and military factions that had distinctly diametrical visions of what type of foreign policies Japan should pursue in furthering its expansionist goals. In sum, a combination of expansionist policies combined with modernization reforms domestically was apply by foreign policymakers to lead Japan into the second half of the 20th century. For example, historians such as Barnhart emphasize that this approach was responsible for Japans military adventurism in the pre-World War II years. In this regard, Barnhart advises, F rom the commencement of the Meiji Restoration to the conclusion of the Pacific War, Japan pursued the status of a great power through expansion abroad and reform at home.18Likewise, Barnhart notes that Japans experiences with Germany in World War I confirmed the need for domestic reform combined with expansionist foreign policies that would help ensure the nations economic security in the future. According to Barhart, the nature of warfare itself had changed substantively during the early 20th century and the waging of total war meant that national security required a viable domestic foundation that could withstand this type of all-out warfare long enough for Japan to prevail. In this regard, Barnhart emphasizes that, Certain officers in the Imperial Army concluded that, for their Asian empire, the lessons of the European conflict were ominous. Future wars would be fought not only with guns but with the entire resources of nations, from engineers to doctors, from cotton plant to iron ore. Without these requisites of economic security, the mightiest army would be paralyzed.19Given Japans lack of natural resources, these issues were even more poignant during this formative period in foreign policymaking. Indeed, Barnhart points out that, Without a modern industrial base that could be mobilized in time of need, even these requisites would prove useless. A nation that could not supply all of its own needs in wartime, a nation that was under attack(predicate) to economic pressure from other nations, would be neither truly skilful nor truly sovereign.20A fresh and expensive war with China in 1937, though, made it virtually impossible for Japan to realize the complete goal of becoming economically self sufficient, and this conflict in particular served to further underscore Japans economic vulnerability.21This threat to Japanese national security was fit by the aforementioned positive Bushido-based mindset among some leaders that supported straightforward milit ary solutions for these complex domestic problems on the one batch with others that sought a more moderate path to achieving Japans goals of acquiring saucily resources and achieving economic security. Indeed, some authorities suggest that the expansionist policies used in the pre-World War II era were less important for some foreign policymakers than the domestic reforms that would be required to sustain any gains achieved on the battlefield. many another(prenominal) Japanese foreign policymakers, though, defined the nature of the political, economic and social reality that was faced by Japan during the pre-World War II years in ways that were supportive of expansionist views rather than a strictly prosaic analysis of world events and Japans place among the international community that was based in reality.22ConclusionTaken together, the events that led Japan into World War II appear to be inexorable in nature, and given the divisiveness among foreign policymakers during this p eriod, the outcome could not have been easily changed from an expansionist policy to a pacifist trading-centered strategy. In fact, the handwriting was on the wall and Japans expansionist approach to achieving its goal of economic security was well underway. The research showed, though, that Japans internal political problems, including the animated rivalries between military leaders, served to shape pre-World War II Japanese foreign policy in ways that would make it difficult to respond to economic pressures from the Western world in general and the United States in particular without resorting to military solutions. In the final analysis, it is reasonable to conclude that if the Japanese leadership of the early 20th century could have foreseen what pacifist trading opportunities shag do for economic security, they would not have resorted to the expansionist approach that include the annexation of Korea, warring on China and the rest of Asia and attacking Pearl Harbor. These effo rts were clearly influenced by a misguided application of traditional Bushido machismo that resulted in Japan being leveled and rebuilt in the pacifist trading model anyway.