Comments by "Nattygsbord" (@nattygsbord) on "Why German Victories weakened Japan in World War 2" video.

  1. I agree Anthony. Japans problem in the pre-war period was that her industry wasn't large enough for large scale military production. So Japan had to import tools and machines from western countries in order to become a real industrial nation and a military great power. But in order to get those machines, Japan first had to export stuff to the west (things like cheap textiles) so that she could get her hands on foreign currency that she could use to buy those American machines. But in order to get any clothes to export, then Japan first had to import cotton and such which put a strain on the currency reserves. And things didn't become easier by having to fight a war in China at the same time as the country is trying to increase the exports so it can buy more imports so the country can indsutrialize. So Japans Soviet inspired 5 year plan to industrialize a country in just 5 years failed and got deleyd because she didn't really get the cash needed to buy all machines, and buying all coal and steel needed to build a huge modern military. So Japans limitation was cash in period before the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. And after the attack things started to change pretty suddenly, and Japan made some blitzkriegs in the pacifc and took control over the most resource rich areas in the world in record time. And Japan now had more warbooty than her industry could consume. Cash was no longer a problem. Japan had all the resources she needed, but her problem was more about shipping them to Japan from Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, the Phillipines and other places. Japans merchant navy was large, but it wasn't large enough for this huge task, and the occupied countries economies declined when they couldn't export or import as much as before, when the Japanease merchant navy was unable to fill the ship transport gap that the old colonial masters had left when they surrendered their islands. Prices on export commodities in the occupied lands started to fall, and the lack of imports made prices to go up and cause inflation in the occupied territories. And things gradually got worse and worse, when the Japanease military wanted ships for troop transports and supplying the troops. And when the war started to go bad, and merchant ships was getting slaugthered by US submarines things became even more desperete. And only the most valuable commodies became shipped to Japan. But in the end of the war didn't even that come to Japan in suffient amounts, and the colonies economies got starved and wrecked and inflation was high. And even if the Japanease war economy got impressivly mobilized for a not very industrialized or rich country (80% of the GDP was spent on the war effort), the war production was still not even near close enough to beat America. America for example produced more warplanes in a single year, than all planes Japan made throughout the entire war! And when the war ended it was clear that Japans mobilization for total war was unsubstainable. 80% of the merchant navy had been sunk in the war. 80% of the infrastructure in Japan had been destroyed. Many towns laid in ruins. Many young men had been wasted. And yet, was Japan never even close of defeating the allies.
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