025 - China Versus Japan

Although the Sea of Japan separated China from Japan, this boundary defined the two neighboring nations throughout history. While both countries had a variety of fine goods such as gold, silver, and silk, China also had large resources of iron ore, oil, and coal due to its geographic advantages.

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In the 1500s, during the Age of Discovery, Portuguese and Italian explorers including Vasco de Gama and Marco Polo had started to open the trading routes to the east, which meant Japan and China had to compete for European business. Naturally, that competition led to conflict.

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Although Japan and China avoided war for the most of four centuries, war was unavoidable. By the beginning of the 20^th Century, Japan had mastered its industrial complex, but the tiny island nation did not have the necessary raw materials to produce finished products. China’s vast supply of resources and weak military made it an easy target for the Japanese.

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In the 1890s, Japan and China fought over territorial claims to Korea and Taiwan. By the end of the First China-Japan War, both Taiwan and Korea gained independence from China. During the First World War, the Japanese Navy helped to defeat the German Navy in islands throughout the Pacific. At the end of World War I, Japan was ready to grow into a superpower, however, was hindered by its size.
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In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese territory of Manchuria, which was rich with the raw materials the Japanese needed to grow.  In 1937, when the Japanese formally declared War on China, the Second China-Japan War officially began. Unfortunately, the powerful Japanese Army quickly invaded Chinese cities and farms. During this time, the Japanese Army also attacked a city named Nanking. More than a quarter of a million Chinese civilians were killed during this one attack. If the leader of China, Chiang Kai-Shek, did not act fast, all of China was lost..