WWII_Asia_Review3

Chinese Quagmire	Although the Japanese possessed superior military forces, the Chinese refused to give up. International efforts to reach a negotiated peace failed because of Japanese demands to keep all conquered territory. Over time, the war sapped Japan’s resources, making it harder to sustain the war against China.
Opportunity in Europe	In 1940, France surrendered to Germany. The puppet Vichy French government retained nominal control of the French colonies, but did not retain the military means to protect them. Japan saw an opportunity to use airbases in French Indochina (Vietnam) to bomb Chinese supply routes across the border, and thereby push the Nationalist government to surrender.
Economic Embargo	In response to Japan’s capture of the Indochinese airbases, the United States—which was rallying to strengthen her support of Great Britain in its battle against Germany—also moved against Japanese aggression. President Roosevelt ordered an embargo of certain categories of material necessary to the Japanese war effort, such as scrap metal. Over time, he extended the list of embargoed materials to include all metals and aviation fuel. By 1941, Japan, still unable to extricate itself from China, faced a crisis.
Tri-Partite Agreement	Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941 drew the attention of Russia’s historical rival in the East: Japan. (Recall the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05.) Japan, stuck in its “Chinese Quagmire,” now faced a choice: expand north, against a weakened USSR, or south, towards the oil and rubber supplies of British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies? In July of 1941, Japan signed a Tri-Partite Agreement with Germany and Italy, in which the three countries agreed not to attack one another. It did not require the signatories to aid the others in case of attack by an outside power. The agreement allowed the Japanese to benefit from German intelligence in case the former decided to attack the Soviet Union.
Fateful Decision	Meeting in Council, Japan’s government determined to attack south towards British Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. Neither Britain nor Holland presented a strong military threat to Japan—Britain was still reeling from German bombardment, and Holland was occupied by the Nazis. However, Japan knew that any attack on these countries might bring the United States into the war.
Pearl Harbor	To forestall U.S. involvement, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto drew up an ingenious plan for a surprise attack against the U. S. Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes struck, knocking out 8 U. S. battleships; however, the primary targets, the three U. S. aircraft carriers, were still out to sea. Thus, the attack not only pulled America into the war, but left it with the capability of fighting back.