ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the premiership of Tanaka Giichi from 1927 to 1929, a period that saw Japan substantially break from the China policies that had been pursued by Shidehara. It describes Tanaka’s initial policies towards China and his desire to establish two spheres of influence within the country – one led by Zhang Zuolin in Manchuria and another by Chiang Kai-shek in the south – and explains why, despite his admiration for the anti-communist Chiang, Tanaka failed to improve relations with the Nationalists. After reviewing the different views on China in the contemporary Japanese army and foreign ministry, the chapter provides extensive coverage of the Jinan Incident, arguing that it served as one of the most important turning points in interwar Sino-Japanese relations, and of the Kwantung Army’s assassination of Zhang. It also describes how, as the Nationalist government became the dominant Chinese power, the economic and foreign policies it adopted served to split Japan off from the United States and Britain, causing it to become increasingly isolated diplomatically. The chapter argues that Tanaka’s time as prime minister held great possibilities for improved Japanese cooperation with Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Nationalist government, but that his government failed to take advantage of these opportunities.
