[War & Business] The Reunion of the Anglosphere

A recruitment poster illustration created in 1942 by the Australian government expressing concerns about Japanese invasion. [Image source=Australian War Memorial (AWM)]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The new Indo-Pacific military alliance AUKUS, formed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, is drawing global attention. This is because it is the first time in 70 years since the 1940s, when these three countries openly formed a military alliance during the Pacific War against Imperial Japan.

During World War II, while most European countries were focused on the war against Nazi Germany, the Pacific front was primarily handled by the so-called "Anglosphere," meaning English-speaking countries led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The reason why voices inside and outside Australia are expressing concern that Australia might once again become a base for U.S. and British forces in the Pacific front, as it was during the Pacific War, is rooted in this history.

From December 8, 1941, the day after the Pearl Harbor attack, as Japan invaded the Philippines, Australia served as the central base for the U.S. Southwest Pacific Command. At that time, General Douglas MacArthur, commander of the U.S. Far East forces, fought against Japan in the Philippines with a small number of troops but was eventually defeated and escaped from the Philippines, after which Australia became the frontline base in the Pacific theater.

While General MacArthur served as the Southwest Pacific commander, over one million U.S. and British soldiers gathered in Australia to fight against Japan. The Australian mainland was also constantly harassed by Japanese rear attacks, including submarine attacks on Sydney Harbor and air raids on Darwin, a major city in northern Australia. Especially before Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945, most of the U.S., British, and Australian forces were deployed on the European front, so there was always concern about a Japanese invasion of the Australian mainland.

The reason Australian citizens are particularly concerned about the launch of AUKUS is that the current confrontation between the U.S. and China is forming in a way similar to the Pacific War era. The worsening U.S.-China relations, including trade disputes and military demonstrations in the South China Sea, are being compared to the relationship between the U.S. and Imperial Japan before and after the Pacific War. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the U.S. imposed various economic sanctions on Japan, and when Japan continued the war despite these sanctions, the U.S. imposed extreme oil embargoes in 1941, which triggered the Pacific War.

From the perspective of Korea, which experienced division and fratricidal conflict as a result of the Pacific War between the Anglosphere and Imperial Japan, this trend is not something that can be ignored. If the Anglosphere and China were to engage in a second Pacific War, it is impossible to predict what turmoil might ensue. It is regrettable that, even as the great powers’ "Great Game," which could shake the fate of the Korean Peninsula to its core, continues, the eyes and ears of the ruling class are all focused on scandals surrounding presidential candidates.