SDHF Newsletter No.425 The Road to the Greater East Asian War No. 39 Ch.10-5

THE ROAD TO THE GREATER EAST ASIAN WAR
Nakamura Akira, Dokkyo University Professor Emeritus
(English Translation: Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact)
Part 39, Chapter 10: The Manchurian Incident-5

July 11, 2025

Justice Radhabinod Pal of India submitted a judgement to IMTEFE, in which he describes the international environment surrounding Japan and concludes that the Manchurian Incident was not a conspiracy, but the consequence of that environment. Justice Pal wrote that during Japan-US negotiations held in 1941, right before the outbreak of war, “an action of legitimate self-defense was understood by the United States of America to mean ‘their own decision for themselves whether and when and where their interests were attacked or their security, threatened.’ This self-defense was understood to extend to the placing of armed forces in any strategic military position keeping in view ‘the lightning speed of modern warfare.’”

One often hears that the Japanese military, acting independently, caused the Manchurian Incident. But Konoe Fumimaro, who in some ways had keen discernment about the trends of the times, and excellent insight, wrote the following in his memoirs.

Certainly, on the surface it appears that the military was the driving force behind Japanese diplomacy after the Manchurian Incident. … I considered this way of thinking superficial and shallow, and dismissive of national destiny, which lies at the root of it all.

… the direction Japan is taking now is being propelled by the world situation. Military uprising or no, Manchurian Incident or no, whatever happens is the destiny of the people. As long as politicians fail to understand the people, … the military will become the driving force, and our nation will continue to move forward in this direction.　

Konoe also made the following remarks in his memoir;

Since the end of the Great War, Japan’s diplomacy has largely been a matter of cooperation. Cooperation is, of course, all well and good. But this cooperation was not based on any policy or plan. We simply accepted and followed what the Powers said, assuming that that was the way of the world and inevitable. It is not surprising that the military and public were resentful. … I believe that the military is so powerful now because it has a clear objective and a plan for Japan. … Today we hear indignant voices claiming that political parties, both in Japan and abroad, are being led astray by the military. But when those who have a plan meet those without one, the former will surely prevail.

Economic blocs were formed by the Powers after the Great Depression of 1929. Japan was most seriously affected by this trend. The US, which had relentlessly nagged Japan to open its doors to China, now refused to open its continental borders to Japan. Under such international pressure, “have-not” Japan had no choice but to extricate itself from this paradoxical international framework and find a way to survive. Such was the international stage on which the Manchurian Incident unfolded.

URL: 　 https://www.sdh-fact.com/book-article/2314/
PDF: 　 https://www.sdh-fact.com/CL/Road39E.pdf
　
Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact