Hong Kong Falls
On Christmas Day 1941 ("Black Christmas") the Governor General of Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese. In the 18-day battle, the British suffered 11,848 casualties and Japan suffered 2,754. Following the surrender, Imperial Japanese troops committed...
Allies Out of East Asia
On October 18th, 1941 His Majesty the Emperor visited a provisional festival at Yasukuni Shrine and offered prayers for those who died in the war. At 10:15 a.m., when the prayers were offered, all the people offered a silent prayer throughout the country. At 10:20...
Vichy French Allow Japanese Occupation of Indo-China
On July 24, 1941 the Vichy French government, holding tentative control over the colony, granted Japan permission to establish military control over French Indo-China.
Japan Threatens French Indo-China
Japanese Demands on French Indo-China With the collapse of the French army in Europe, the Japanese government demanded that the French allow the landing of Japanese troops in French Indo-China. Japanese warships took up naval stations off Indo-Chinese ports.
Greater East Asian Sphere of Common Prosperity
"It is my firm belief that the establishment of a sphere of common prosperity throughout Greater East Asia is not only Japan's policy, but indeed a historical necessity in the event of world history." - Japan's Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka at the opening of the...
Japan Controls French Indo-China
In January 1941 Vichy French defeated the Thai Navy in the battle of Koh Chang. A truce in the Franco-Thai War was arranged by the Imperial Japan Japanese government that also confirmed Japan's military occupation of French Indo-China and access to Indo-Chinese...
Yasukuni Shrine
The Shinto Yasukuni Shrine was created during the Meiji Restoration to commemorate the individuals who had died in service of the Empire of Japan. In the shrine are numerous photographs and war paraphernalia and the names, origin, birthdate and place of death of...
Japan Controls French Indochina
The fall of France to German forces in June 1940, and subsequent establishment of the Vichy government, weakened French colonial rule of Indochina (modern day Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam). Soon France permitted the establishment of Japanese military bases in...
Sino-Japanese War Stalemated
In 1940, after Nationalist Chinese victories in Changsha and Guangxi, and with her lines of communications stretched deep into the Chinese interior, Japan had reached a stalemate in the war with China. Although the Japanese ruled the large cities, they were...
Sino-Japanese Wars Overview
Tientsin Incident
In June 1939, the Imperial Japanese Army blockaded foreign concessions in the northern China port of Tientsin because of British consulate refusal to hand over four Chinese accused of assassinating a Japanese customs official. Japanese soldiers strip-searched anyone...
Inside Asia – John Gunther
In the late 1930s, John Gunther's popular "Inside" series described the national characteristics of Europe and Asian nations through personal anecdote, biography of important individuals and overall analysis.
Map of Imperial Japan 1939
Big Brother Japan
In the 1930s Imperial Japanese propaganda promoted the image of a benevolent Big Brother in Asia.
Second Sino-Japanese War
Since the invasion of Manchuria and the creation of the puppet state Manchukuo in 1931, an uneasy truce existed between Japan and China. The Marco Polo Bridge, linking Beijing to Chinese-controlled areas in the south, became the flashpoint for renewed warfare between...
Mao Fights Japanese Imperialism
"To win independence and freedom for China is a great task. It demands that we fight against foreign imperialism and the domestic counter-revolutionary forces. Japanese imperialism is determined to bludgeon its way deep into China. As yet the domestic...
Cuba Released from US Protectorate Status
In 1934, the USA released Cuba from its protectorate status that had begun in 1903 after the Spanish-American War.
Pu Yi – Puppet Emperor of Manchukuo
The Last Emperor, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, was a lush epic film of Pu Yi's life. Pu Yi, the abdicated Xuantong Emperor of China's last (Qing) dynasty, was declared the emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo by Imperial Japan in 1934. His rule lasted until...
Korea Under Japanese Rule
Unlike Taiwan's relatively passive acceptance of colonial rule, Korean resistance to Japan's takeover in 1910 was obstinate and strong. Imperial Japanese reforms, designed to eradicate Korean national identity, were often ruthlessly enforced. A more...
Amau Doctrine
In 1934, Amau Eiji, Japanese Foreign Affairs Spokesman, asserted that Japan had the special mission to maintain peace and order in East Asia. The Empire of Japan would therefore oppose any intervention in China by other foreign powers. This Japanese declaration,...
U.S. Marines Leave Haiti
In the early 20th Century, the United States was concerned about its political and economic control over the Caribbean. With frequent assassinations and exiles, Haiti appeared unstable and under the influence of a small group of German nationals who wielded...
Taiwan Under Japanese Rule
After conquering a relatively backward Taiwan in 1895, Imperial Japan instituted major socioeconomic and and political changes designed to transform the country into a showcase for "scientific" colonial governance.
Philippines Promised Future Independence
After Philippine annexation in 1898, many Filipino farm workers migrated to the American West coast. As a result of opposition to this influx, the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 reclassified Filipinos as aliens, and thus no longer allowed unrestricted access to the...
Nan’Yō – South Sea Mandate
In the 1930s, many Japanese citizens, seeking new opportunities, emigrated to the South Sea Mandate, known as Nan’Yō. Soon the Japanese population of these islands grew to outnumber the islanders. Ultimately, it was only the catastrophic outcome of the Pacific War...
U.S. Pacific Territories Attacked in WWII
Midway island, Wake Island, the Philippines, and Guam, all controlled by the USA in 1941, were sites of important battles during the Pacific War. The United States claims the following possessions today: American Samoa Guam Baker Island Howland Island Jarvis Island...