Greater East Asia War in the Pacific

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Pacific War
China – Pacific Ocean – South-East Asia – South West Pacific – Japan – Manchuria (1945)

The Greater East Asia War (大東亜戦争) was a term used, at least publicly in December of 1941, by Japan's Imperial General Headquarters (Imperial GHQ) to refer to the conflict that followed (and ultimately reversed) Japan's invasions in the 1930s and early 1940s of other nations in eastern Asia and the Pacific. This war is more commonly known as the Pacific War, or as the Pacific theatres of World War II.

1 Nomenclature
2 Sanctions
3 War Plans
- 3.1 Attacking the Allies
- 3.2 Contingencies
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Nomenclature

Initially in World War II, the official Japanese name for the war was Dai toua sensou (大東亜戦争, Greater East Asia War). This name was chosen by a cabinet decision on December 10, 1941, to refer to both the war with the United States and the ongoing war in China, which began with the China Incident (or Mukden Incident). The name was released to the public two days later, on December 12, with a government explanation that it referred to the motivation of Asian nations to achieve independence from the Western nations — it was not intended to set parameters for the battlefield. Soon after the end of the war with the U.S., this term was prohibited in official documents, though some say its use continued. The war was from this point called Taiheiyo sensou (太平洋戦争) literally meaning the Pacific War. This latter term has been in use since that time. Less often, Jyugonen'sensou (十五年戦争 15 Year War) is used to refer to the war, beginning with the Japanese invasion of China in 1931 (also called the Sino-Japanese War) to the end of World War II in 1945. The term is used to highlight the rule of militarism over the years.

[edit] Sanctions

Economic sanctions imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands against Japan in response to the Japanese invasions of China progressively weakened the Japanese economy. The Japanese government saw its choice as between:

relieving the sanctions by abandoning the war in China, or
replacing the withdrawn resources elsewhere in the region. Their decision was for extensive military operations.

[edit] War Plans

It is believed that the Imperial General Headquarters began planning the Greater East Asia War in April or May of 1941.

[edit] Attacking the Allies

The key objective was for the Southern Expeditionary Army Group to seize economic resources under the control of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, most notably those in Malaya, and the Netherlands East Indies. They deemed the alliance of both these European nations with the United States as requiring this eastern plan:

initially, attacking the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, with carrier-based aircraft of the Combined Fleet, and
following this attack with
- seizure of the Philippines, and
- cutting the US lines of communication by seizing Guam and Wake.

Their southern plans called for:

attacking Malaya and Hong Kong, and
following with attacks against
- the Bismarck Archipelago,
- Java, and
- Sumatra.
isolating Australia and New Zealand

Following completion of these objectives, the strategy would turn defensive, primarily holding their newly acquired territory.

By November these plans were essentially complete, and were modified only slightly over the next month. Japanese military planners' expectation of success rested on the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union being unable to effectively respond to a Japanese attack because of the threat posed to each by Germany; the Soviet Union was even seen as unlikely to commence hostilities.

[edit] Contingencies

There is no evidence that the Japanese planned to defeat the United States; the alternative would be negotiating for peace after their initial victories. In fact, the Imperial GHQ noted that should acceptable negotiations be reached with the Americans, the attacks were to be canceled -- even if the order to attack had already been given.

They also planned, should the US transfer its Pacific Fleet to the Philippines, to intercept and attack this fleet en route with the Combined Fleet.

Should the United States or Britain attack first, the plans further stipulated the military were to hold their positions and wait for orders from GHQ. The planners noted that attacking the Philippines and Malaya still had possibilities of success, even in the worst case of a combined preemptive attack including Soviet forces.

[edit] References

Gordon, David M. "The China-Japan War, 1931-1945" Journal of Military History (Jan 2006) v 70#1, pp 137-82. Historiographical overview of major books