‘Japan’s foreign policy in the period 1931-1941 was completely successful.’ How far do you agree? Explain your answer.

Introduction:
In the 1930s, the military became increasingly influential in the government. This had a major impact on its foreign policy

Main Body:
One of the successes of Japan’s foreign policy was its conquest of a vast area of territories. This included Manchuria, Southeast Asia and a large part of China. With these conquests, Japan had secured its supply of resources as well as expanded its markets. At the same time, this would also provide lands for its growing population. Most important of all, the conquests had created an empire for Japan. It could now be regarded as a Great Power equal to the West. In the case of Southeast Asia, Japan had even defeated the European powers to take over their colonies. This not only brought Japan closer to their objective in creating the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’, but also freed the region from Western control. With all these aims achieved, Japan’s foreign policy between 1931 and 1941 could be seen as a success.

However, there were problems created by Japan’s foreign policy. Japan made too many enemies due to its aggressiveness. To start with, the Japanese takeover of Manchuria was not well-received by the League of Nations. Japan was criticised and this prompted Japan to leave the League of Nations. Thereafter, relations between Japan and the West were never cordial, especially between Japan and the US. When Japan violated the Washington Naval Agreement, it caused further distrust from the US. This prompted the US to provide assistance to China during the Sino-Japanese War from 1937 onwards and even initiated an oil embargo against Japan. When Japan attacked Southeast Asia in 1941, it became the enemy of the British and the Americans. By 1941, Japanese foreign policy had forced Japan to fight too many enemies in too many areas. In addition, Japan’s aggressive foreign policy had drained much of Japanese resources. All these problems demonstrated the failure of Japan’s foreign policy.