Japanese Expansion into Korea (1876–1945)
Early Influence & Control (1876–1910)
Japan sought control over Korea due to its strategic
location between China and Japan.
• Treaty of Ganghwa (1876):
o Forced Korea to open its ports to Japanese
trade.
o Marked the beginning of Japan’s influence in
Korea.
• First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895):
o Conflict over Korea between China and Japan.
o Japan defeated China, gaining dominance
over Korea.
• Korean Resistance & Annexation (1905–1910):
o Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905):
▪ Japan defeated Russia, eliminating its
influence in Korea.
o Korea became a Japanese protectorate (1905)
under the Eulsa Treaty.
o Annexation of Korea (1910):
▪ Korea became a formal Japanese colony
under the Japan-Korea Annexation
Treaty.
▪ Harsh colonial rule followed.
Japanese Rule Over Korea (1910–1945)
• Political Suppression:
o Korean government was abolished; Japan
installed a colonial administration.
o March 1st Movement (1919): Korean
nationalist protests brutally suppressed.
• Economic Exploitation:
o Japan seized Korean land and controlled
industries.
o Korean farmers forced into tenant farming.
o Industrialization (1930s–1940s): Korea
became a key supplier of resources.
• Cultural Suppression:
o Japanese language and culture were imposed.
o Korean names were replaced with Japanese
ones under the Sōshi-kaimei policy (1939).
• Korea During WWII (1937–1945):
o Forced labor: Millions of Koreans sent to work
in mines and factories.
o Comfort women: Korean women forced into
military brothels.
o End of Japanese Rule (1945): Korea was
liberated after Japan’s surrender, leading to
the division into North and South Korea.
Japanese Expansion into Manchuria
(1931–1945)
Why Japan Wanted Manchuria
• Economic reasons: Rich in natural resources (coal,
iron, and farmland).
• Strategic importance: Key to Japan’s expansion in
China.
• Population pressure: Japan sought land for its
growing population.
Invasion & Establishment of Manchukuo (1931–1932)
• Mukden Incident (September 18, 1931):
o Japanese military staged a fake railway attack
as a pretext for invasion.
o Quickly occupied Manchuria.
• Creation of Manchukuo (1932):
o Japan installed Pu Yi, the last Qing emperor, as
a puppet ruler.
o Manchukuo was declared an "independent"
state but was under Japanese control.
• League of Nations Response (1933):
o Condemned Japan’s invasion; Japan withdrew
from the League.
Japanese Rule Over Manchuria (1932–1945)
• Economic Exploitation:
o Japanese companies controlled Manchurian
industries.
o Forced labor and resource extraction
intensified.
• Military Expansion:
o Manchukuo became a military base for future
invasions into China.
o Unit 731: Japanese forces conducted
biological warfare experiments on civilians.
• End of Japanese Rule (1945):
o The Soviet Union invaded Manchuria in
August 1945.
Japanese Expansion into China (1937–
1945)
Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945)
Japan aimed to dominate China and secure resources,
leading to full-scale war.
• Marco Polo Bridge Incident (July 7, 1937):
o Clashes near Beijing led to war.
o Japan rapidly advanced into northern and
eastern China.
• Fall of Shanghai & Nanjing (1937):
o Japan took Shanghai after fierce battles.
o Nanjing Massacre (December 1937–January
1938):
▪ Over 300,000 Chinese civilians and
soldiers were massacred.
▪ Widespread rape, executions, and
destruction.
Japanese Rule Over Occupied China
• Puppet Governments:
o Wang Jingwei’s regime (1940–1945): A pro-
Japanese government in Nanjing.
• Economic & Resource Exploitation:
o Chinese workers forced into labor.
o Industries and food supplies controlled by
Japan.
China’s Resistance & World War II (1938–1945)
• Guerrilla Warfare: Chinese Communists and
Nationalists resisted Japanese forces.
• Pearl Harbor & U.S. Involvement (1941):
o After Japan attacked the U.S. (Pearl Harbor)
and British colonies, China received Allied
support.
• Defeat of Japan (1945):
o The U.S. firebombed Japanese cities and
dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
o Soviet Union invaded Manchuria (August
1945).
o Japan surrendered, ending its occupation of
China.
Conclusion: The Fall of the Japanese Empire
Japan’s imperial expansion into Korea, Manchuria,
and China was part of its broader goal to dominate
East Asia. However, its harsh rule and military
overreach led to resistance, war, and eventual defeat
in 1945.
Key Takeaways:
• Korea (1910–1945): Annexed and ruled with
extreme suppression; freed after Japan’s defeat.
• Manchuria (1931–1945): Puppet state Manchukuo
controlled by Japan; retaken by China after WWII.
• China (1937–1945): Full-scale war with Japan,
marked by atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre;
ended with Japan’s surrender.
