The Importance Of Imperialism In Japan

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Today, Japan is one of the leading economies in the world, the first non-Western country that could match the economic power of the West. This is not a small feat, especially considering the devastation after the Second World War, but with the help of the United States and clever government policy, they managed to build an economy that is envied by many, despite the past destruction caused by the total war or the lack of raw materials offered by the Home Islands. However, during the 1930s and 1940s, Japan had a very different plan in mind regarding how to become a successful nation on the international stage. Imperialism was thought to be the answer for Japan’s economic problems. Under the guise of “liberating” East Asian countries from Western…show more content…
Since the beginning of Japanese industrialisation, military needs had a tremendous role in Japanese economic policy planning. The Meiji reforms were started because they wanted to avoid China’s fate of becoming a semi-colony, and the only way to resist Western powers were the modernization of the army . Further success against the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese War and against the Russians in 1905 proved the effectiveness of this policy, but to maintain a modern army and navy, Japan needed resources for its strategic industries . The Home Islands lacked these vital resources, so the main aim of the foreign and economic policy was to secure resources either through trade or conquest. Trade was not preferred however, as it relied on mainly Anglo-American interests, and therefore could be disrupted during times of conflict , so military option was…show more content…
There will be European block, Soviet Russia is treated as a huge block, North and South America dominated by the United States and Britain, through its Commonwealth will also maintain its own block. East Asia would also have its own block under the leadership of Japan; “The states, their citizens and resources compromised in those areas pertaining to the Pacific, Central Asia and the Indian Oceans formed into one general union are to be established as an autonomous zone of peaceful living and common prosperity (…) The Japanese empire possesses a duty as the leader of the East Asiatic
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