History of World War II in the Pacific

How did the West Occupy the East in 19th Century? 

Initially, the East meets West interactions were for diplomatic or trading missions, but Western powers soon used their more advanced technology and military tactics to overwhelm most of the Asian powers. During this period, the Qing Empire of China was faced with an inexorable decline as it faced foreign aggression and internal instability. Japan was forced by gunboat diplomacy to end its self-imposed isolation. Many other Asian nations were completely dominated by Western administrators. During this time, Britain, France, and the United States colonized across the entire Pacific area. They established trade posts and new cities, including Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Fall of Qing Empire

The Qing Dynasty Empress Dowager Cixi with Wives of the Diplomatic Corps in 1903
The Qing Empire had ruled China since 1644, and in its golden age, the empire was the largest, most prosperous, and most populous country in the world. However, with superior technology and industry, the old Asian orders, including the Qing Empire, seldom stood a chance against the east and began to crumble. Disasters from inside and out struck the Qing Empire. Internally, violent rebellions, natural disasters, and political infighting weakened the empire’s resolve. Externally, wars with foreign powers and encroaching colonization further weakened the Chinese order. The Qing Empire eventually fell in 1911, resulting in China fell into feuding warlords and years of chaos. Even after Nationalist and Communist united to fight the warlords, China was still undergoing an internal civil war that continued to divide the country. 

The Rise of Japan

The Meiji Emperor and his family in 1880, featuring adults in western-style
​(Image by ThoughtCo.)
As China struggled to reform and hold itself together, Japan embraced the ideas and technology of the west. Japan's Meiji Restoration revolutionized their technology, industry, economy, and military, which helped them defeat their former overlord, China, in the First Sino-Japanese War and western power, Russia, in the Russo-Japanese War. Then, moving into the First World War, fascist and race-based nationalistic ideologies inspired Japan, leading Japan to continue westernizing. As a result, at the turn of the 20th century, Japan sought to create its empire, initially for acquiring resources, later for economic and military power in preparation for another potentially devastating conflict. 

Related Book

Fall of Singapore: 
The Undefeatable British Fortress Conquered

The fall of Singapore is the greatest defeat of the British empire in the Pacific.
​On February 15, 1942, the British surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army and handed over Singapore and surrounding Malaya countries. The conflict began on December 8, 1941 when Japanese forces bombed Singapore and continued to make their way through the treacherous Malayan jungle. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stated during the attack, “the worst disaster and the largest capitulation in British history”. Singaporeans were immediately ordered to come in for questioning after the Imperial Japanese Army took over. During the interview, their homes were looted and destroyed by the Kempeitai, the secret Japanese police. 
During the occupation, there were many tragedies. An example is the Sook Ching Massacre. Sook Ching Massacre, literally meaning “purge through cleansing”, began on February 21, 1942. The mass murder of Singapore residents ages 18 to 50, was targeted at eradicating anti-Japanese sentiments. Victims of the massacre were either Chinese, suspected of being pro-Chinese, anti-Japanese, or Communist. Men and women were questioned and if found guilty, they were taken to one of Singapore’s beaches and murdered. The death toll shows less than 5,000 according to the official Japanese record, while Singaporean officials claim the number of victims was at least 50,000.​