Japan's defeat in WWII

Strengths of USA
1. Economic strength
  1. USA largest industrial producer at that time; able to quickly switch over to military production (e.g Auto factories switched to make planes)
    1. After Great Depression, many unemployed people eager for work (willing workers)
      1. Japanese unable to protect merchant fleets from attacks by American submarines -- factories lack materials and people lacked food; Allies bombed Japanese factories
        American factories well out of range & merchants ships were better protected
2. Contribution of women to the war effort
  1. Allied countries encouraged women to contribute to war effort through propaganda (E.g. USA, Women Ordance Worker, worked in factories to produce weapons, vehicles & military supplies necessary for war effort. Some joined armed forces as nurses or even soldiers)
    1. While in Japan, they emphasised the role of women as mothers & child-bearer, stressed they should stay at home. Only later in the war did Japan made efforts to encourage women to enter the workforce
3. Military and naval strength
  1. Despite attack on Pearl Harbour, Japan did not break USA's resolve and did not totally destroy USA's capacity to retaliate in Asia Pacific (Three aircraft carriers were not at the harbour during the attack)
  2. Doolittle raid on Tokyo
    1. Japanese thought their homeland was out of range as bombers would not have enough fuel to return
      1. However USA planned to fly bombers over Japan and land them in China, even though they risked capture by Japanese forces
        Managed to bomb Tokyo, Nagoya & Kobe
  3. Continued bombing of mainland Japan
    1. USA showed its military might through continued aerial bombings of mainland Japan; made possible by capture of strategic island bases like the Philippines & Iwo Jima (captured using island-hopping strategy)
      1. Nov 1944, Allies bombed aircraft factory in Tokyo, campaign intensified in 9 Mar 1945, 1/4 of Tokyo destroyed, 250,000 buildings destroyed, 185,000 people civilians killed
        War production disrupted; Japan's economy, which was needed to sustain the war effort, to the brink of collapse
  4. Battle of the Coral Sea
    1. Japan planned to land its soldiers at Port Moresby and take control of New Guinea (necessary step to launch attack on Australia)
      1. Americans were prepared as had decoded Japanese coded messages ordering the attack; brought in 2 aircraft carriers against Jap carriers
        Battle draw in terms of damage but attack cancelled thus victory for Allies as Japan's southward advance was halted
  5. Battle of Midway
    1. Major turning point: Put a halt to Jap growth in the Pacific & put US in a position to begin shrinking the Japanese Empire
      1. Midway Islands impt due to their airfields and their route to Pearl Harbour
        Japan's aim: bomb the island defences and land troops so the islands could become a base for Jap naval & air forces
        USA held element of surprise (hid their carriers in open sea, away from islands, out of sight frm the 1st wave of Japanese bombers
        As a result, Jap lost 4 aircraft carriers & nearly 3/4 of their experienced pilots
Ineffectiveness defence of overextended Japanese empire
1. By 1942, Jap occupied almost whole of SEA, which was a large territory for Jap forces to manage (empire overstretched)
  1. Too large territorially to be effectively controlled due to limited funds, manpower & resources; made worse by island-hopping by the US
Desire of Allies to secure a quick victory in the Asia Pacific
1. Liberation of Allied Prisoners-Of-War (POW)
  1. Jap turned to forced labour (unwilling labour -- inefficient production) to solve shortage of manpower; thousands of workers from Asia forced to work in factories or on construction projects like the Thai-Burma Railway
    1. US highlighted Japanese hostility towards POWs in their campaigns to motivate workers
2. Minimise Allied losses from kamikaze attacks
  1. Refers to the suicide missions by the Jap air pilots against Allied ships to inflict max damage; Allied leaders worried continued kamikaze attacks would result in massive no. of casualties, so wanted to bring quick end to war to minimise losses
Allied victory in Europe
1. Allied adopted Europe-first strategy & resources were concentrated in Europe -- more time for Japan to consolidate power
  1. Fall of Italy & Germany -- Japan left to fight allied forces alone
2. Demand for unconditional surrender
  1. Avoid situation that existed after WWI in Europe; popular opinion at home influenced Allied leaders' desire to deliver complete victory to their people
    1. Allied enraged by stories of Japanese atrocities, especially against their POWs
Dropping of the atomic bomb
1. Americans considered to use the bomb to end war once & for all when Japan showed it wld not accept unconditional surrender
  1. Allies wanted to impress USSR & defeat Japan without USSR help; USSR played major role in liberation of Europe, occupying half of Europe
    1. USSR & Allied deeply divided in ideology; Churchill and Truman wanted to contain spread of communism, therefore wanted to gain an edge over USSR
2. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  1. 6 Aug 1945 'Little boy' dropped over Hiroshima, killed 1/3 of population instantly, another 70,000 injured which many died soon after; firestorm incinerated everything within 7km of where the bomb fell; 30mins later, black radioactive rain fell over surrounding areas, poisoning more land & people
    1. 9 August, 'Fat Man' dropped on Nagasaki; 40,000 people killed instantly, another 25,000 burnt by explosion
      1. Thousands affected by long-lasting effects of atomic bomb (e.g. genetic mutation, cancer, skin disease)
        15 Aug, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced his country's unconditional surrender; Formal 'instrument of surrender' signed on 2 Sept

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Japan's defeat in WWII

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