This section covers the reasons for Germany and Japan’s expansionist policies some of which is covered in earlier sections.

German ambitions can be summarised as seeking:

• An overturning of the Treaty of Versailles including return of land, re-armament etc

• Lebensraum, and a racially pure Greater Germany

• Revenge against the French

More information about Nazi ideology and Germany’s aims can be found in Section 3.3 Nazi Ideology, and we will cover more yet again in the Conflict in Europe topic.

Japanese ambitions can be summarised as

• Seeking equality with Western Powers

• Resources in Asia

• Expansionist foreign policy under a militarised government

• Establishing a “Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere with Japan leading Asian nations

Further information can be found in Section 2.2

Reasons for Japan’s Ambitions

Japan's ambitions stemmed from a perceived superiority in the Asia region, a desire for equality with European Imperialist powers, and resentment following World War I. With a growing population and limited resources, Japan sought to acquire territories in the 1920s and 30s, such as Manchuria in northeastern China, to secure raw materials and food. The 1937 war of conquest against China marked a pivotal point, with some historians considering it the starting date for the Second World War in the Pacific, predating the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

England is already on the downgrade, Japan has started on the upgrade. The two come into collision because England is trying to hold on to what she has, while Japan must perforce expand. Territorial possessions and natural resources England has in abundance, she can afford to relinquish some. Japan has neither, and to her they are a matter of life and-death. 

Tota Ishimaru, Imperial Japanese Navy Commander 1936

Comparison

Between 1919 and 1942, the driving forces behind Japan's ambitions in the Asia Pacific and Germany's actions in Europe exhibited notable distinctions.

Germany, reeling from the aftermath of World War I and the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, was primarily motivated by ideological factors. The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party sought territorial expansion to establish a Greater Germany, driven by notions of Aryan supremacy and the desire for Lebensraum, or living space, particularly in Eastern Europe.

On the other hand, Japan's ambitions in the Asia Pacific were fueled by a quest for status within the global order. Viewing themselves as superior in the Asia region, Japan sought equality with European Imperialist powers, coupled with the imperative to secure resources for its growing population. While Germany's expansion was ideologically rooted, Japan's actions were more intricately tied to a pursuit of geopolitical standing in the international arena.