Raw materials
Markets for manufactured goods
Korean “dagger”
Taiwan
Defeat of China, 1895
Liaodong, China
Defeat of Russia, 1905
Korea, 1910
Exports fell 50%, 1929-1931
Silk price fell 50%
Urban unrest
Rural poverty
Lack of faith in political parties
Desire for more markets and raw materials
Lack of civilian control over military
Prime Minister
*Emperor Hirohito
Right wing societies
600,000 members in 1936
Right wing terrorism
Assassination of Prime Minister Inukai, 1932
"Kill the rich and annihilate the political parties"
Coup attempt, 1936
Arrests of government critics
Propaganda
No dictator or strong leader
Nationalist Government
Guomindang National People’s Party
Chiang Kai-shek
Communists
Mao Zedong
Liaodong Peninsula
Kwantung Army
Right wing leadership
Invasion of Manchuria, 1931
*"Manchurian Incident"
*Manchukuo, 1932
Invasion of East China, 1937-9
Marco Polo bridge
1. How did the Depression affect Japan? Why did the Depression encourage increasing militarism?
2. Compare and contrast Japan and Germany's politics in the 1930s.
1. How did Japanese aggression in East Asia and German aggression Europe lead to the outbreak of World War II?
1. Based on the novel, how did the Japanese government attempt to control its Korean colony in the 1930s?
2. How did the Koreans react to Japanese colonialism? How did Koreans collaborate with or resist the Japanese?
3. Richard Kim was from about 1 to 7 years old when he had the experiences that inspired these chapters in the novel. Is this part of the novel a reliable source to learn about Korean life under Japanese occupation?