The Great Depression reaches Japan
In October 1929 share prices in New York crashed. Banks closed and factories stopped. Because countries trade with each other, the trouble spread. People call this world-wide slump the Great Depression.
Japan was hit in two ways:
- Exports fell. Japan sold a lot of raw silk to the USA. When Americans had less money, silk prices dropped and farm families who raised silkworms lost income.
- Hard money policy. In 1930 Japan went back to the gold standard at an old rate. This made exports even costlier, so the slump got worse. People call it the Showa Depression.
In 1931 poor harvests in the north-east made life harder. Many workers lost their jobs, some city people returned to villages, and anger grew against the rich business groups (zaibatsu) and against parties that seemed unable to help.
Rise of militarism
Militarism means that the army and its ideas get more power than elected leaders, and the country is run mainly for war. Here is how it grew in Japan:
- 1931, Manchurian Incident: army officers set off an explosion on a railway in north-east China and blamed China. The army then took the region without orders from the government. In 1932 it set up a puppet state, Manchukuo. Japan left the League of Nations in 1933.
- 1932, May 15 Incident: young officers shot Prime Minister Inukai. After this, party leaders no longer led the cabinet.
- 1936, February 26 Incident: a group of army officers tried a revolt in Tokyo. It failed, but afterwards the army had even more say.
- 1937 and after: war with China widened. A law in 1938 allowed the government to control money, workers and goods for war. In 1940 political parties were closed down and joined one body.
Newspapers and schools were controlled, and speaking against the war could lead to arrest.
Second World War and its damage
In 1939 war began in Europe. In 1940 Japan joined Germany and Italy in a pact. On 8 December 1941 (Japan time) Japan attacked places in Hawaii and South-East Asia, and the Pacific War began. Japan took many lands across Asia, but from 1942 it began to lose. From 1944 bombers attacked Japanese cities. On 10 March 1945 a night raid burned much of eastern Tokyo. In April to June 1945 a long battle in Okinawa took the lives of many local civilians. In August 1945 atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima (6 August) and Nagasaki (9 August). On 15 August 1945 the war ended.
The human toll: in the whole world more than 70 million people died. About 3 million Japanese died. People in China, Korea, the Philippines and other Asian lands also suffered terribly, and in Europe about 6 million Jews were killed. Children were sent from cities to the countryside, food was rationed, and students worked in factories. After the war, many cities were rebuilt and many survivors worked for peace.
Try it: the four bars
Open the last 3D step and drag the year slider. Predict first: in 1931 which bar is highest? Then check. Next, move to 1941. Which bar has taken the place of Jobless as the main story? At home, ask an elder in your family what they know about hard times in their youth and write down two words they use.
Key formulas and definitions
- Key dates: 1929 world crash · 1931 Manchurian Incident · 1932 May 15 Incident · 1937 war with China widens · 1941 Pacific War · 1945 war ends
- Chain of causes: Depression → hardship and anger → army gains power (militarism) → war
- Militarism: the army and war aims get more power than elected leaders
- Human toll of the Second World War: more than 70 million dead worldwide, about 3 million Japanese
Worked examples
1. How many years passed between the world crash of 1929 and the end of the war in 1945?
1945 - 1929 = 16 years.
2. Explain in two lines why the Depression helped the army gain support.
Many people lost jobs and income, and they were angry that parties and big business did not help. The army promised new land and resources abroad, so many people accepted its leadership.
3. Raw silk sold for 100 yen a bale in 1929 and for 40 yen in 1931. By what percent did the price fall?
The fall is 100 - 40 = 60 yen. 60 / 100 = 60 percent.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the Depression only hit the USA. It spread to Japan and the whole world through trade.
- Saying militarism came suddenly in 1941. It grew step by step from 1931.
- Mixing the start of the war: it began in Europe in 1939 and in the Pacific for Japan in 1941; war with China widened in 1937.
- Counting only soldiers as the cost of war. Most of the people who died in the Second World War were ordinary people, not soldiers.