Japan's Pacific Campaign

Explain how the Japanese expanded their power in the Pacific

The Japanese were overconfident of their abilities. Though at first glance they may have seemed unbeatable and invincible the way they pushed into the South Asian Pacific colonies of Europe they were, after great struggle, humbled and defeated. Their defeat is greatly owed to the Americans that cracked of one of the codes that the Japanese used in sending secret messages by October 1940. For this reason the Americans were aware and fully prepared for the Japanese. The Japanese were very ambitious, sending their troops to every nook and cranny of the Pacific and conquering every island they stepped on. It wasn’t very long before French Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos) was at Japans feet. They happened to accomplish this feat even while withstanding Chinese resistance closer to home. Japan then realized what was standing between it and complete success: the U.S. fleet in Hawaii. Early morning, December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the American sailors of Pearl Harbor. Within 2 hours, they had succeeded in sinking or damaging 19 ships, 8 of which were battleships, moored in Pearl Harbor and killing over 2,300 Americans while leaving 1,100 wounded. The damage might have been worse for the U.S. military leaders had been tipped off by a coded Japanese message that they would be attacked, however they did not know when or where it would occur. This event gave the reluctant Americans and President Roosevelt a reason to join the war, to Congress’s dismay.

The Japanese did not stop there. In fact, nearly at the same time of the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese launched bombing raids on the British colony of Hong Kong and American-controlled Guam and Wake Island. Turning their attention to the Philippines and after 3 months of intense fighting, the Japanese took the Bataan Peninsula. It remained striking against Britain’s Asian possessions, conquering strategically positioned Singapore, the resource-rich Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), along with the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Celebes, and Burma. Its next target: India, Britain’s great beloved colony. After much experimentation the invincible Japanese finally revealed their Achilles heel: It was vulnerable to attack. This little piece of information raised the American moral. From then on the Allies held a greater deal of victories.
-Genesis A. Landestoy

after the loss by the Allies against the Axis country, Japan, Guam and Wake Island fell to Japanese forces. in January 1952 Japan marched into the Philippine capital of Manila. after about three months of tough fighting, the Japanese took the Bataan Peninsula in April. the Japanese also continued their strikes against British possessions in Asia. after seizing Hong Kong, they invaded Malaya from the sea and overland from Thailand. by 1942, the Japanese had reached Singapore, with fierce pounding the colony surrendered. the Japanese had conquered the resource-rich Dutch East Indies, including the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and Celebs. they also took Burma. by the time Burma fell, Japan had taken control of more then 1 million square miles of Asian land.
-gabrielaj
Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese torpedo and bomber planes on December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time. The sneak attack sparked outrage in the American populace, news media, government and the world. On December 8, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the American Congress, and the nation, to detail the attack. In that address, thepresident asked Congress to pass a declaration of war. Congress obliged, voted and passed the U.S. Declaration of War on Japan, on the same day. That was America's formal entry into World War II.
The attack took place on a sunny Sunday morning. A minimal contingent of soldiers was on duty at the time. Most offices on the base were closed and many servicemen were on leave for the weekend. New technologies, including the new radar mounted on Opana Point, were in place, manned and functioning at the time of the attack. The incoming Japanese attack planes were detected by the radar and reported, but were mistaken for an incoming group of American planes due from the mainland that morning. While on practice maneuvers outside the harbor that morning, an American destroyer spotted a Japanese submarine attempting to sneak into the harbor. The submarine was fired upon, immediately reported and ignored.
-Kenny R. Gomez

Japanese Expansion

The Japanese plan, in order to expand themselves, was to create a large perimeter stretching into the western-central Pacific in order to facilitate a defensive war while exploiting the resources of Southeast Asia as part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which was a concept that represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "block of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers." As a further precaution, the Japanese also planned to neutralize the American Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. Starting on December 7/8, the Japanese launched a highly successful campaign and by the end of April, 1942, nearly all of their objectives had been fulfilled with minimal losses.

At the beginning of May, Japan attempted to expand on their defensive perimeter and cut communications between Australia and the United States by capturing the Allied position at Port Moresby. This attack was eventually rebuffed, or refused, and was followed by the Battle of the Coral Sea.

- Lily Sanchez

Japan's Plan

The Japanese, like Hitler, wanted to expand their territory. As a start, they took over Manchurria, a region in northeastern China. The Americans soon discovered secret messages sent by the Japanese saying they would invade Southeast Asia, possibly harming American's Philippine Islands and Guam. For this, the Americans aided the Chinese for resistance. Despite this, the Japanese continued and now took on another conquest— invading Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, which after a declaration in part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, became a declaration of war in part of the United States.

The Japanese continued on their conquests by attacking Guam and Wake Island, then the Philippines. They later seized Hong Kong and invaded Malaya from the sea and Thailand through the air. By the end of this, Japan had had about 1 million square miles of Asian land. After seeing all of this happen, Ally countries, the United States and Australia, decided to fight back. They bombed Tokyo and other Japanese cities and eventually, as well, the Battle of Midway occurred, where at last, Yamamoto ordered his fleet to withdraw.

-Betsy R.

Americans had cracked down one of the telegraph of Japan so they where aware of all the things they were planning. Some said that president Roosevelt knew of the attack since he ordered one day before with no logical explanation some boats to move. In 1941, Pearl Harbor was exploded nearly 2300 Americans were killed and over 1,100 were wounded. Later on Wake island was quickly taken by the Japanese forces.
The Japanese then turned their attention to the Philippines. They also turn to take away the land that the British had on Asia, they were basically on a roll trying to take back everything they had lost in the past. Japan next targeted Midway Island, some 1,500 miles west of Hawaii, the location of a key American airfield. Then on June 4, with American forces hidden beyond the horizon. As Japan worked establish a new order in Southeast Asia and the pacific, the Nazis moved ahead with Hitlers design for a new order in Europe.

-Jonathan Vargas

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was an attack conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia, against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The base was attacked by Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers.

Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk and all of the four other battleships present were damaged. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training shipand one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 people were killed and 1,282 were wounded. Japanese losses were light, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

Erialbania Lopez

Japan gets support

In the early morning of December 7, 1941, American sailor woke up with the roar of an upcoming Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor. U.S. military leaders knew that an attack was coming, since they had cracked into one of the coded messages of the Japanese, what they didn’t know was when or where was the attack going to happen. In only two hours of attack the Japanese had sunk or damaged 19 ships in which there were 8 battleships. This was the beginning of the called out from Japan to the Asians and to the whole world. To join forces within the pacific coast the Japanese came up with a slogan that said “Asia for the Asiatics.”
-Luis Restituyo

Japan Causes War

The Japanese were really mad at the fact that the United States had no going on the war and the same time had a lot influence in its outcome, since they were greatly helping the Allies. They also felt they had to take control of the islands of the United States in the Pacific, so they decided to bomb Pearl Harbor. They had sent a message to the United States telling them about this, but this wasn’t received on time. The United States, then decided this could be taken as a way to make the citizens to wanting to participate on the war. This actually worked, and the United States enters World War II. After this, we find a series of wars between Japan and the United States, fighting over islands in the Pacific, which were property of the United States. At first, Japan was beating the Allies hard, but after the allies got Douglas MacArthur as their General. He used a technique in which they would go from island to island, attacking the ones that had least protection, and that at the same time were closer to Japan.

-Gaby H.(:


by ely

Guam and Wake Island quickly fell to the Japanese. Then they truned their attention to the Philippines. After about 3 months of fighting, the Japanese took the Bataan Peninsula in April. Corregidor fell the following month. The Japanese also continued their strikes against the British possessions in Asia. After seizing Hong Kong, they invaded Malaya from the sea and overland from Thailand. By February 1942 the Japanese had reached Singapore, strategically located at the southern tip of the Malaya Peninsula. After a fierce pounding , the colony surrendered. Within a month, teh Japanese had conquered the resource-rich Dutch East Indies. By the time Burma fell, Japan had taken control of more than 1 million square miles of Asian land.


In December 1941, Japan made an unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This was due to Japan's ambition of empire. By 1931, their expansion began. They wanted to expand mid west-pacifically. This attack on Pearl Harbor brought United States into the World War due to defense.
Japan Victories were amungst territories of the Philippines, singapore, islands of java, sumatra, borneo, and celebes.
-Priscilla Fanjul

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