Assess the failure of Japan to achieve dominance in South-East Asia and the Pacific By 1945.

The two largest factors in Japan’s failure to gain dominance of south-east Asia and the Pacific by 1945 were their lack of long term “war making potential” and their underestimation of the United States of America as a potential enemy. Although Japan was the dominant military and technological force in Asia prior to the beginning of World War II, its conquest to rule Asia and the Pacific was only short lived. For a period of six months, Japan had accomplished most of its goal. However, Japan’s failure to shut down the United States was its ultimate undoing. From there on in, the war was already lost. It was just a matter of time.

Japan’s rise to world power status was a phenomenon. In just fifty years, Japan had transformed itself from an isolated, medieval society into the most technologically advanced nation in Asia. Japan adopted western practices openly, and learned off its new trading partners. The success of this modernisation was demonstrated with the defeat...