For Asia and Asian governments, WWII had severe ramifications. Due to a scarcity of resources, the great colonial powers from Europe were left weak and unable to administer their colonies during WWII. They were preoccupied with their own issues, and the emergence of anti-imperialist sentiments at home slowed the decolonization process. After what they had seen after WWII, colonies were not ready to be colonized again. After the war, colonies that had aided their colonial rulers were awarded independence. Examples of countries that regained independence include the Philippines from the United States of America in 1946, India from the United Kingdom in 1947, Ceylon and Burma in 1948, and others.
Prior to WWII, Japan has had an ambition of expanding its influence over other states. The invasion of Manchuria in 1931 marked the start of Japan’s East Asian expansion, which proceeded in 1937 with a deadly campaign on China. Japan joined the military alliance known as the “Axis” when it signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. The United States imposed economic sanctions on Japan in order to deter Japanese aggression and force the evacuation of Japanese soldiers from Manchuria and China. Faced with serious shortages of oil and other natural resources and motivated by a desire to dethrone the United States as the Pacific’s dominating power, Japan planned to assault the United States and British forces in Asia and take Southeast Asia’s resources. The modernity of the Japanese post-WWII indeed began in the 19th century. During this time, the Asian states have accepted the culture of the West, which allowed them to integrate into the global society and develop relationships, including economic partnerships with other nations outside Asia.