Pacific Theater of WWII

World War II: The Pacific Theater

1941-1945

What do We Mean by “Pacific Theater?”

Event 1: 1931-1937

• Japan invades Manchuria (1931) and

China (1937)

Expansion of the Japanese Empire

• Japan felt cheated by Britain, France,

and the US after WWI because it failed
to gain much territory

• The Japanese government falls under

control of radical nationalists and allies
with the army

• Japan begins to expand its empire by

invading Manchuria in 1931

• Japan later invades the rest of China in

1937

• “Asia for the Asiatics”

Open Ended

Why would Japan invade Manchuria?

The Nanjing Massacre

The Nanjing Massacre

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan took control of the Chinese city of Nanjing (Nanking). The imperialist soldiers had orders to destroy the city while committing mass murders and other atrocities against Chinese soldiers and citizens. There is controversy as to how many people died during the massacre. There are no official numbers for the death toll in the Nanjing Massacre, though estimates range from 200,000 to 300,000 people.

Why Does Japan Expand?

• Japan was a superior nation and greater

nations conquer weaker ones

• Land for Japan’s growing population

• Access to natural resources for Japan’s

military expansion

• Access to new markets to sell surplus goods

Multiple Choice

Which one is NOT a reason for Japan's expansion?

• They felt they were a superior nation and need to conquer weaker nations

• They needed more land for their growing population

• To have access to more fresh water

• Access to natural resources for Japan's military expansion

Event 1: Significance/Result

• The invasions strain the Japanese

economy and create a need for iron ore
and oil to fuel war efforts.

Event 2: Summer, 1941

• Japan takes French Indochina

(Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos)

“Asia for the Asiatics?”

• Japanese invasion of China consumed

many materials, so Japan expanded
further to access more natural
resources

• Although they claimed to free the Asian

people from imperialism, the Japanese
often undertook the same policies as
the previous rulers

Multiple Choice

Japan freed Asian countries from imperialism

• True

• False

Japanese Troops Enter Saigon

Event 2: Significance/Result

• Japan does this
because of a need for
natural resources

• The Americans respond
by cutting off oil
shipments to Japan

• This only makes Japan
more aggressive for
additional territory

Multiple Choice

How did the US respond to Japan taking control of Saigon?

• US sent more oil shipments

• US cut off oil shipments

• US did nothing

• US worked on a treaty with Japan