Japan and oil

http://www.star-games.com/exhibits/s...shortfuse.html

Japan's crude oil production within her border for 1931 was 291,000 kiloliters; 1933 was 330,000 kl, 1935 was 268,000 kl, and 1937 was 335,000 kl. These amounts represented roughly less than 0.1% of US production, 0.5% of Russia, and 1.6% of the Netherlands from the Dutch East Indies (1).


Japan's dependency on America for its oil and oil products was a predominant 67% of total oil imports in 1935 (2,310,000 kl), 74% in 1937 (3,530,000 kl), and 90% less than two years before the Pacific War broke out in 1939 (4,450,000 kl) (2) !

In November 1938, Japan's Prime Minister at the time, Fumimaro Konoe, issued a statement that Japan was going to establish a new order in Greater East Asia. This angered the US, especially President Roosevelt to no end. After a long and thorough consideration, on 26 July 1939, the 1911 US-Japan Treaty of Commerce and Navigation was unilaterally abrogated, to take effect six months later. This was a clear signal of United States intentions to continue applying economic pressures on Japan in retaliation against Japan's insatiable advances in the Far East.

This action by the United States shocked many Japanese leaders, one of them being then Finance Minister Sotaro Ishiwata. On 5 August 1939 he reported to the Emperor his opinion regarding the effects of the abrogation of the treaty :

"It is a great blow to our access to scrap iron and oil. Although there is room for further imports during the next six months, what happens after that? There will be great difficulties Japan will have to face. Unless the strength of the Army and Navy is reduced to one third of its present size, there is no way Japan can keep going."

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