Japanese expansion in East Asia: Causes

Causes of Japanese Expansion in East Asia

Economic Factors

Industrialisation in Japan led to demands for resources such as oil, coal, iron ore and rubber.
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression hugely affected Japanese export markets, leading them to seek self-sufficiency.
Expansion into Asia was seen as solution to economic problems, providing space for population expansion and alleviating unemployment.

Political Factors

Military dominance in the Japanese government saw a shift to aggressive foreign policy, promoting expansionism.
Rise of ultranationalist groups led to increased pressure for expansion to restore national pride.
Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933 further isolating it internationally.

Ideological Factors

Promotion of the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” propagated the notion of a Japanese-led pan-Asian block, free of Western influence.
Belief in Japanese superiority and destiny to lead Asia and the Pacific region.
Many in the Japanese leadership believed in the need for pre-emptive strikes to ensure Japan’s survival, based on fears of American and Soviet threats.

International Factors

Western attitudes towards Japan: Western countries showed little willingness to oppose Japanese expansion - this encouraged further expansionist moves.
The increasingly aggressive expansionary policies of other world powers, particularly Germany and Italy, distracted world attention from Japan’s actions.
The fall of Chinese central authority and a civil war between Nationalists and Communists made China an easy target for Japanese expansion- when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, the Chinese couldn’t offer effective resistance.