JAPANESE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POST WORLD WAR II
             World War II left many powerful nations in smoke and rubble. The deconstruction of
             many countries gave them the chance to rebuild their cities and economies. No country took
             more advantage of this opportunity than Japan. Japan was a huge militaristic power in World War
             II . Their aggressive behavior caused them to be stripped of their military and their power for self
             rule. The demilitarization of Japan changed the country's focus from world militaristic
             domination to world economic domination. The country established free trade, manufactured
             goods, and improved and invented technology, making themselves one of the largest economic
             World War II exploded across Europe and the rest of the world in 1939. Germany and
             Japan had united to take over Europe, Russia, and the Pacific islands. The focus of the Japanese
             was to conquer China. Conquering the mighty country was not as easy as they expected and they
             needed more resources as the war dragged on. Japan turned its focus to the Pacific Islands for
             resources for their war with China. There was a barrier that stood between Japan and those
             resources they needed: the United States Navy. Admiral Isoroku Yamatmoto of the Japanese
             Navy stated that, "The U.S. fleet in Hawaii is a dagger pointed at our throat and must be
             destroyed" (Beck et al p.827).
             Early in the morning of December 7, 1941 American sailors at Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii,
             awoke to the roar of explosives (Beck et al p.827). Within two hours the Japanese had sunk or
             damaged 18 ships, including eight battleships - nearly the whole U.S. pacific fleet. Some 2,400
             Americans died, more than 1,000 were wounded (Beck et al p.827). The news of the attack
             shocked America. The day after President Roosevelt announced to Congress and the world that
             the United States had declared war on Japan.
             After the attack of Pearl...