KJQ essay

Name: KJQ   

I agree to a large extent that Japan started World War ll in the Asia-Pacific was more about ambition rather than about survival. This is because Japan had been practising an expansionist policy, Japan chose to escalate tensions and did not avoid starting world war II and Japan had a government that was planning for a major war and this is why I say that Japan starting WWII was more ambition than survival.

I say so because Japan already had shown that they wanted to conquer other countries since 1902 (Why not just state this is an “expansionist policy” of Japan????)  when they had a treaty with the Britain to agree on the Anglo-Japanese alliance. This means that Japan will recognize British’s rule in India while Britain would recognize Japanese’s rule in Korea. Japan also had the Greater East-Asia co-prosperity Sphere propaganda campaign to stir up feeling of Asian nationalism and against Western colonial powers. This shows that Japan had long-term expansionist plans (Put this at the START of the paragraph à This is the POINT. Always put the POINT at the START of the paragraph)  and it is also a continuation of their expansionist plans to attack the Pearl Habour and South-East Asia. Also, Japan made the 'Reject the Anglo-American centred peace' speech at the Paris Peace conference. The speech contained a warning that unless the Western powers give Japan access to the Asian colonies under United States and Britain to sell Japanese goods and buy raw materials, Japan may turn aggressive.(So what?)  Japan also demanded that its citizens be allowed to purchase lands and set up businesses in US and Britain as their colonies, and also wanted better treatment of their citizens that went over to other countries. This shows that Japan is indirectly telling the other countries to open their markets to Japan, if not, they will start a war.

[NEW Paragraph because this is a NEW POINT – 1 point 1 paragraph]

Furthermore, Japan could also have chosen to de-escalate tensions with the United States(U.S) by withdrawing troops from China and normalise with U.S when the U.S cancelled the 1911 commercial treaty as a response to the invasion of China. However, Japan further expanded became even more aggressive by invading Vietnam causing U.S to enforce the trade embargo to corner force Japan to retreat from Vietnam, yet they Japan chose to attack the Pearl Harbour instead of trying to reduce tensions with the U.S. Japan did this because they had planned to conquer South-East Asia and the United States was in their way and attack Pearl Harbour was part and parcel of their expansionism and had little to do with Japan’s survival. Therefore, I agree to a large extent that Japan started World War II in Asia-Pacific was more about ambition rather than about survival.

However, Japan also started World War II in the Asia-Pacific for the survival of their country. Japan was economically vulnerable and this vulnerability could only be permenantly overcome if Japan had captive markets for its goods via a large set of colonies where it could exploit and obtain a permenant and guaranteed source of cheap land, labour, resources and food without depending too much on free trade. I say so because the geography of Japan is quite mountainous, and therefore they have very less area for agriculture and place for the blooming population to stay in. Also, the 1929 Great Depression taught Japan an important lesson that free trade is not a reliable way to guarantee economic prosperity as trade partners like U.S and Europe became protectionists to protect their own countries’ economic survival by not trading with Japan. This shows that Japan needed more land area for agriculture to feed the increasing population and the only way to guarantee supply of food, land and resources is to expand into other territories, therefore there is a need for them to take over other countries, for survival. Hence, I also agree to a small extent that Japan started World War ll in the Asia-Pacific was more about ambition than survival. Japan did require to wage world war II because of survival.

In conclusion, I think that Japan started World War II in the Asia-Pacific was more about ambition rather than about survival as Japan does not need to conquer other countries as they already had Taiwan and Korea under their control and there was enough resources in the two country to ensure the survival of Japan. Also, they are not under any external threats from other countries, so there was no need to act aggressively as Japan was not under threat from any state.  is no need to expand their territory for survival. Hence, I agree to a large extent that Japan started World War II was more about ambition than survival.

Comments   
1. Place the points straight after the Thesis statement.

2. Place each point at the start of the paragraph, then elaborate and explain examples.

3. You should mention that Japan owned Korea, Taiwan AND Manchuria by 1941 and Manchuria was rich in resources like coal and iron. Although Japan needed oil which Manchuria did not have, it did not really need to attack South-East Asia because it could have survived by trading and by normalising its relations with the United States rather than making it worse by acting in an expansionist manner.