The Grand Strategy of Japan, 1919 - 1941

Why did Japan attack the United States in 1941? This video traces the progress of Japanese grand strategy from the end of WWI to WWII. The key strategic question Japan sought to address during this period was that of 'total war': how to survive in a world dominated by industrial behemoths. From internationalism to traditionalism to totalism, from the Manchurian Incident to the US oil embargo, Japanese strategymakers attempted to find solutions amid deteriorating external circumstances... and the ultimate result was Pearl Harbor.

SCRIPT: strategosstuff.blogspot.com/2020/05/script-grand-s…

All errors (especially the Japanese) are my own. Sorry for the bad audio quality.

It's important to remember that Japan's totalist strategy would have created, and did create, tremendous regional suffering. Apart from the control, exploitation and racism, totalists also argued that one way for Japan to win despite a smaller economy was through chemical and biological weapons.

▬ CHAPTERS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Start
0:28 - [I] The Problem: Total War
6:51 - [II] 1919-1931: The Internationalist Washington Order
14:44 - [III] 1931-1937: The Totalist National Defense State
24:16 - [IV] 1937-1941: Desperation & Synthesis
26:19 - [IVa] Jul 1937: The 2nd Sino-Japanese War
30:21 - [IVb] Jul-Sep 1939: Nomonhan & War in Europe
32:52 - [IVc] Jul-Sep 1940: Fall of Western Europe & the New National Defense State
37:23 - [IVd] Jun-Jul 1941: USSR or Southeast Asia?
39:49 - [IVe] A Hybrid Strategy for the Pacific War
42:41 - [V] Conclusion

▬ SOURCES ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
General
Maiolo J. Cry Havoc. Basic Books 2010
Barnhart M. Japan Prepares for Total War. Cornell University Press 2013.
Drea E. Japan's Imperial Army. University Press of Kansas 2016.
Evans D; Peattie M. Kaigun. Naval Institute Press 2012.
Paine S. The Japanese Empire. Cambridge University Press 2017.

Traditionalist/Limited War
- See sources on my Corbett video: • Sir Julian Corbett, Limited War, and ...

Totalism
Aizawa K. 'The Shock of the First World War'. 2nd International Symposium on Security Affairs Mar 2000
Szpilman C. 'Kita Ikki and the Politics of Coercion'. Modern Asian Studies 36:2, 2002.
Wilson G. 'Kita Ikki's Theory of Revolution'. Journal of Asian Studies 26:1, Nov 1966.
Mimura J. Planning for Empire. Cornell University Press 2011.

1920s Diplomacy
Jordan J. Warships after Washington. Naval Institute Press 2015.
Sakai T. 'The Soviet Factor in Japanese Foreign Policy, 1923-1937'. Acta Slavica Iaponica, 6, 1988.
Matsuzato K (ed.). Russia and Its Northeast Asian Neighbors. Lexington Books 2016.

Manchuria
Charles River (eds.). The Japanese Invasion of Manchuria. Charles River Editors 2016.
Nish I. Japan's Struggle with Internationalism. Routledge 2000.

2nd Sino-Japanese War
Peattie M; Drea E; Van de Ven H. The Battle for China. Stanford University Press 2011.

▬ ATTRIBUTIONS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Wikipedia (Basic facts)
Google Maps
Omniatlas (Maps)

Made using Powerpoint 2013.