Figure 1.--This 1943 Japanese press photo shows the children of military personnel killed in the War visiting the Yasukuni shrine. Japan did not experience military losses on the same scale as the Germans. The bulk of the Japanese Army was deployed in China and the Chinese were largely ineffective miltarily. The Pacific island campaigns were bloody, but rather short campaigns involving relatively small forces. Only in 1945 did Japan begin to experience major losses (Burma, Okinawa, and Manchuria).

Japan was the most industrialized country in Asia, but the country's industrial capacity was a fraction of that of America and Britain. And the country had to import raw material, including vital resources like petroleum. Nor was the country self-production in food production. The Militarists who made the decession for War calculated that Japan could seize the resources it needed in a quick war and that the Americans and Eutropeans would not be willing to wage a costly war to recover the lost territory. That was essentially the gamble made at Pearl Harbor. That gamble was lost at Midway. Not only did Japan suffer that disastrous defeat, but it suffered it at a time that the Imperial Navy was still dominant in the Pacific and before American industrial production had decisively shifted the ballance of forces. The Japanese militarists absolutely controlled the press in Japan. Only news of Japanese victories were allowed in the press and for the first 6 moths there were plenty of those. When Japanese defeats began to occur, they were strictly prohibited in the press. When the sailors and surviving air men returned from Midway (June 1942) they were held incomunicano least news of the disastrous defeat leaked out. (Even Army commanders were not fully informed.) We are not sure when the Japanese people began to realize that their country was losing the War. In fact Japan lost very little territory until 1944. And the fighting was very distant from Japan. The militarists believed that the NAZIs in Europe would occupy America's military and thus Japan's smaller industrial output would be suffient for a short war. Japan mobilized the country's industrial capacity. Women and children were ordered to work in factories as well as on farms. Japanese industry, however, proved totally incapable of matching America production in quantity or quality. The Japanese did succeed in seizing vital natural resources in Oceania and Southeast Asia, including oil and rubber (1942). Unfortunately for the Japanese the U.S. Navy was successfully waging a sunmarine campaign that made it impossible to ship these resources to Japanse factories (1943). Worse still the Americans took the Marianas which brought Japanese industry within the range of the new American B-39n bombers. The losses of the tiny attols and islands in the central Pacific, however, brought the Japanese Home Islands within reach of the new American B-29 bombers. The strategic bombing of Japan was a disaster that could not be hidden by control of the press. These raids must have come as a huge shock and may well have been the first infication to the Japanese people that the War had turned into a national disaster. The first raids were of marginal effectiveness, but by 1945 the U.S. Arny Air Firce was burning the heart out of one Japanese city after another--including Tokyo. There was also a poor harvest which combined with the destruction of the Japanese merchant marine meant that there were growing food shortages. Rationing reduced rice and other food purchases to 1,500 calories--subsistence levels. But as the war continued into 1945 even that amount was often not available. The stategic bombing campaign had by mid-1945 destroyed Japan's transportation system. Had Japan not surrendered (August 1945), Japanese civilians would have starved in large numbers during the Winter of 1945-46.

Japanese Industry

Japan was the most industrialized country in Asia, but the country's industrial capacity was a fraction of that of America and Britain.

Natural Resources

Japan was an industrialized nation that was resource poor. The country had to import raw material, including vital resources like petroleum. Japan until America embargoed petroleum, imported most of its petroleum from the United States. Thus the Dutch West Indies with its petroleum resources was a major target of the Japanese war effort. Nor was the country self-production in food production. The need to important raw materials made Japan dependant on its merchant marine. The only way that needed raw materials could reach Japan, even from Korea and Manchuria was through its merchant marine. Thus Japan was taking a great risk launching a naval war.

War Gamble

The Militarists who made the decession for War calculated that Japan could seize the resources it needed in a quick war and that the Americans and Europeans would not be willing to wage a costly war to recover the lost territory. That was essentially the gamble made at Pearl Harbor. That gamble was lost at Midway. Not only did Japan suffer that disastrous defeat, but it suffered it at a time that the Imperial Navy was still dominant in the Pacific and before American industrial production had decisively shifted the ballance of forces.

Publications

Japan moved toward a parlimentary democracy in the early 20th century. A lively if discreet press covered political and economic affairs. This began to change in the 1920s as the military began to exert its influence in the political arena. Extremists in the military began to assasinate politicans who spoke to boldly or actively opposed the military. The Communists in particular were targeted, but democrtatic politicans were also killed. The military during the 1930s seized almost complete control over the government. Military officers were appointed to head the various ministries. And eventually the post of prime minister. Using state agencies, the military formalized control over both publishing and education. The purpose of both became indocrinsting the Japanese people into politica and social attitudes deem appropriate by the militarty. The Japanese militarists absolutely controlled the press in Japan. The secret police were the Thought Police. One of their functions was to ensure that newspapers and magazines printed what the military wanted. Here publishers were not so foolish as to print anything questioning the War. The Thought Police wee more likely to be involved with individuals who did not quite understand what the military wanted. And this became increasingly complicated as the War went against Japan. Only news of Japanese victories were allowed in the press and for the first 6 months there were plenty of those. When Japanese defeats began to occur, they were strictly prohibited in the press. When the sailors and surviving air men returned from Midway (June 1942) they were held incomunicano least news of the disastrous defeat leaked out. (Even Army commanders were not fully informed.) We are not sure when the Japanese people began to realize that their country was losing the War.

1944

In fact Japan lost very little territory until 1944. And the fighting was very distant from Japan. The militarists believed that the NAZIs in Europe would occupy America's military and thus Japan's smaller industrial output would be suffient for a short war.

Industrial Mobilization

Japan mobilized the country's industrial capacity. Women and children were ordered to work in factories as well as on farms. Factories were put on a 7-day work day (summer 1944). Trains were increasingly crowded. I think this was because fuel was becoming increasinly scarce. Japanese industry, however, proved totally incapable of matching America production in quantity or quality.

Schools

One secret Japanese weapon was baloon bombs. They were incendiary devices designed to be carried by the jet stream 5,000 miles across the Pacific and start fires in the forrests of the Pacific northwest. These bomns were constructed by children in their school yards. [Thomas p. 140.] This of course was an action that blurred the difference between civilian and military targets. The plan was to make 50,000 of these bombs and create chaos in the Northwest. About 9,000 of these bombs were actually launched (November 1944-April 1945). The bombs did set some fires. The only casualties were a man and five children in Oregon who came across one of the bombs and accidentally set it off (May 1945). The Jaopanese evetually gave up on the effort as they found no reports of fires in the American media. We still have limited information about Japanese schools during the War. We do have some information about school uniforms.

Merchant Marine

The Japanese did succeed in seizing vital natural resources in Oceania and Southeast Asia, including oil and rubber (1942). Japan had a basic problem in that these resources were located at some distance from the Home Islands. The Japanese had to rely on its merchant marine to bring these resources home and to deliver war material to Japsanese fighing men. Japan began the war with the world's third largest merchant marine. It was necessary for an industrialize but resource poor island nation that needed both raw materials and food imports. Japan in peace needed 3 million tons of shipping. For war it needed double that ammount. The Japanese won an empire streaching from Siberia to the South Pacific. But none of those victories were of benefit if the resources obtained can not be brought back to the Home Islands. This was a serious weakness and opened Japan to a commerce war like the one the Germans unsuceesfully waged in the North Atlantic against Britain. Unfortunately for the Japanese the U.S. Navy launched a major a submarine campaign in the Pacific. The American campaign was not very effective in 1942 and early 1943, primarily because the Navy had supplied its submarines with defective torpedoes. Once that problem had been corrected, U.S. Navy submarines based in Pearl Harbor set about destroying the Japanese merchant marine. This campaign and the U.S. liberation of the Philippines had made it impossible to ship these resources to Japanse factories (1944). By 1945 not only were Japanese factories that survived the air war having to scale back production because of raw material shirtages, but food imports were decling to a pointthat the country faced famine.

Stretegic Bombing Campaign

Worse still the Americans took the Marianas which brought Japanese industry within the range of the new American B-39 bombers. The losses of the tiny attols and islands in the central Pacific, however, brought the Japanese Home Islands within reach of the new American B-29 bombers. The strategic bombing of Japan was a disaster that could not be hidden by control of the press. These raids must have come as a huge shock and may well have been the first infication to the Japanese people that the War had turned into a national disaster. The first raids were of marginal effectiveness, but by 1945 the U.S. Arny Air Firce was burning the heart out of one Japanese city after another--including Tokyo.

Food

There was also a poor harvest which combined with the destruction of the Japanese merchant marine meant that there were growing food shortages. Rationing reduced rice and other food purchases to 1,500 calories--subsistence levels. But as the war continued into 1945 even that amount was often not available. The stategic bombing camopaign had by mid-1945 destroyed Japan's transportation system. Had Japan not surrendered (August 1945), Japanese civilians would have starved in large numbers during the Winter of 1945-46.

Mass suicide

Japnaese readers tell us that the talk of mass suiside if America had invaded in incorrect and it would not have occurred. These opinions are often paired with a criticism of America for dropping the two aomic bombs which is seen as unecessary because Japan was alreadt ready to surrender. We are not at all sure about this. Large numbers of civilians including women and children did commit suiside in both Saipan and Okinawa, the two places American forces came in contact with Americans. Of course the children did not kill themselves, this was done by their parents. As the invasion of he Home Islands never tool place, there is no way of knowing what woiuld have transpired. It is true, however, that the Japanese Government was preparing civilians to resist the invasion and this included mass suicide when resistance was no longer possible. . The Government told civilians that the Americans would treat them barbarically, rapeing women and flatening civilans with tanks. A headline in a Tokyo newspaper read, "SUBLIMELY WOMEN TOO COMMIT SUICIDE ON ROCKS IN FRONT OF GREAT SUN FLAG; PATRIOTIC ESSENCE STUNS THE WORLD". [Thomas, p. 141.]

Sources

Thomas, Evan. Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign, 1941-1945 (Simon & Schuster: New York, 2006), 414p.

Created: 7:28 PM 8/31/2007
Last updated: 1:40 AM 1/8/2008