1. Japan’s Modern History

2. ►The emperor through out most
of the twentieth century was
Emperor Hirohito
__________________

3. Japan = Very Mountainous: Little Arable Land

4. Japan and the United States

5. • How might the fact that Japan is
mountainous, with very little arable land
have had an influence on Japan’s goals?
• How might the size of Japan have
influence Hirohito and his goals?

6. Japan does not have a lot
of us able land

7. Japan’s Goal
• Japan did not have a
lot of natural
resources or space
• Wanted to gain
natural resources to
gain wealth and
power
• Where should they
go? Who has
resources?

8. Japan expands
• Japan took over
parts of China’s
east coast.
• Japan also took
over all of Korea,
as well as other
areas in the
Pacific.
• Why did Japan
want all of this
area?

9. Japan Annexes Korea

10. But then…

11. Japan sees competition from
Another “Pacific” Power

12. The U. S. “Great White Fleet”

13. ►Emperor
Hirohito was
the man that
ordered the
attack on
Pearl Harbor
__________
which forced
the US to join
WWII.

14. Japan’s Vision of the World
Japan
Germany &
United States Italy

15. Japanese things that were
potential war winners.

16. The ‘zero’ fighter plane.
• Much faster and more
maneuverable than
any other fighter at
the time.

18. The two biggest battleships ever!

21. The aircraft carrier.
• Only a few people realized that old battleships were
finally made obsolete by the aeroplane.
• Pacific naval wars were to be decided by planes from
ships, not by big guns.

22. Massive American industrial resources are
brought against Japan.
Modern business techniques produce huge
amounts of warships, guns, planes and
everything else.
Modern design technology means that
Japanese know-how was rapidly outstripped.
Both Britain and the US send war material to
help Chiang Kai-shek fight the Japanese in
China.

23. 8/1942-4/1945: Island Hopping: US moves from island to island,
establishes airbases as they go.

24. Japanese Kamikaze Planes:
The Scourge of the South Pacific
Kamikaze Pilots
Suicide
Bombers

25. All of 1945: Japanese Firebombing: US bombs Jap. cities, 80,000 to
100,000 each run.

26. 7/1945: Atomic Bomb: US Pres. Truman notified $2 bil (08: $25 bil) bomb
project successful

28. The Atomic Bomb
• The first Atomic bomb
to be used in war…
‘little boy’.
• This bomb was
shipped from the US
a mere 4 hours after
the ‘Trinity’ A-bomb
test in the US.
• The actual radioactive
material inside was
the size of an orange.

29. Col. Paul Tibbets & The A-Bomb

30. Title: “WWII: Asia”
8/06/1945: Hiroshima:

31. Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
70,000 killed
immediately.
48,000 buildings.
destroyed.
100,000s died of
radiation poisoning &
cancer later.

32. Nagasaki – August 9, 1945
40,000 killed
immediately.
60,000 injured.
100,000s died of
radiation poisoning
& cancer later.

33. Japanese A-Bomb Survivors

35. After the Destruction
Japan surrenders
one week after
the Hiroshima
bombing
MacArthur is
named Supreme
Allied
Commander of
the Pacific and
begins the
occupation of
Japan

36. US Occupation-MacArthur
Does not try Hirohito for war
crimes because he is a
popular figure for the
people of Japan.
Begins food relief efforts for
the people of Japan at the
cost of over a million dollars
a day.
Helps set up a democracy by
helping draft a US style
constitution-Hirohito is a
figure head but has no real
power.
Insist that Japan be allowed
into trade alliances.

37. •The Allies, under the command of
US General Douglas MacArthur,
oversaw Japan and the drafting of a
new constitution after WWII.
•The new constitution established a
democratic government, reduced the size of Japan’s military to a
defensive force, and allowed for a modified version of the
emperor. It also guaranteed certain human rights and extended
women the right to vote.
•In 1951, Japan became independent again. However, it kept a
close relationship with the US.
•The US poured lots of money into rebuilding Japan and helped it
grow economically. Today, Japan is one of the wealthiest and
economically strongest nations in the world.

38. Outcomes for Japan
Japan has a modern economy
Best educated work force in
the world.
Women granted rights
Old power structure, and class
system broken down and
replaced.
Peasants could and did own
property.
Democracy still reigns to this
day.