One hundred years ago, on "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918 — 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 — a cease-fire terminated what was then known as the "Great War." The armistice ended four years and four months of fighting, a conflagration that embroiled 32 countries, claimed more than 16 million lives — 7 million of them civilians — and was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. As the world marks the centennial of the ending of that horrific struggle, it is vitally important to take stock of lessons to be learned from and ensure that similar mistakes are not repeated.
Most of that war was fought far from Japanese shores. Nevertheless, Japan was a member of the Entente, fighting with Britain and France against Germany, almost from the start of the conflict. Japan's navy was instrumental in securing sea lanes in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans, and seized German possessions in the Pacific and Asia. Tokyo extended its influence in China and its position among the Allies gave it a prominent seat and recognition as a geopolitical player at the peace talks following the war. Japan was also awarded a permanent seat on the Council of the League of Nations.
Unfortunately, peace also sowed the seeds of future conflict. Japan was one of the victor nations, but that status was not enough to win support for its call for a racial equality clause in the Treaty of Versailles. That defeat confirmed a sense of inequality among Japanese which festered and engendered ill will toward the United States that helped push the two countries toward confrontation.