Howdy,


Lets say that:

1. Japan decides that it will find other trading partners, thus limiting the impact of the trade embargo of the U.S. Would this be possible?

2. If Japan didn't attack the US would this have effected its operations in China for the better?(A theater no one but them and the Chinese were involved in).

3. Speculate on how long Japan could have continued it's Empire.


1. I don't see how this would be possible, by list of country:
a. Great Britain wouldn't have resources to trade due to its conflict with Germany.(This goes for her surrogate states as well)
b. The Soviet Union and the Japanese had multiple border clashes, so why would they trade with each other.
c. Germany is under an effective blockade by the British.
d. South American countries? To small to give the Japanese the resources they required in the amounts needed?

2. The Japanese would have had to devote less men and material to defend islands in the Pacific that (IMO) have/had little strategic value. Could they have added several more divisions to their armies in China? Would this have had any effect at all? I've read in Keegan's book on WWII that the Japanese army in China was effectively hog tied for the most part with pacification duties and generally just trying to keep the peace. So our more sage forum goer's will have to help us with this!


3. Much like the British, I think the cost of having a colony would eventually out weigh it's benefit. I would speculate that if Japan didnt enter an armed conflict with the US, SU, or GB, she would let her colonies go in the mid 60's or early 70s(Not without a little bit of a scuffle though).


On a side note: Was there really anything to the Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? Or was it more of a cover for their Imperialist activities?


Yours,

Bill

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