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1 Definition

The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) is the term used in the United States for all military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, in World War II. Pacific War is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the Allies and Japan, between 1937 and 1945.

Partly because of the nearly equal roles of the US Army and the US Navy in conducting war in the Pacific, but largely for domestic political reasons, there was not a single Allied or US commander for the theater(comparable to Eisenhower in the ETO). Indeed, the organizational structure was rather tangled, with the Joint Chiefs of Staff frequently required to be involved, and the Army and Navy commanders reporting to both the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of War. (No doubt the attendant difficulties helped motivate the formation of the Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. The Department of Defense controls the U. military and is headquartered at The P in 1947Events January January 1 British mines nationalized January 1 Nigeria gains limited autonomy January 1 The Canadian Citizenship Act went into effect January 3 Proceedings of the United States Congress are televised for the first time. January 10 United Na.)

The two main Allied commanders in the PTO were Commander in Chief Pacific Ocean Areas the title held by Admiral Chester NimitzChester William Nimitz ( February 24, 1885 February 20, 1966) was the Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World War II. He was the nation's leading authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navy Burea and (after the short lived ABDACOM,) the Supreme Allied Commander South-West Pacific Area[1], General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur GCB ( January 26, 1880— April 5, 1964) was an American military leader. He served in the U. Army his entire life, taking part in three major wars ( World War I, World War II, Korean War) and rising to the rank of General of the Army, one.

2 Japanese nomenclature

• At least initially in World War II, the official JapaneseThe Japanese language is a spoken and written language used mainly in Japan. The Japanese name for the language is Nihongo . History and classification Historical linguists do not all agree about the origin of the Japanese language; there are several comp name for the war was Dai toua sensou (大東亜戦争, Greater East Asia WarThe Greater East Asia War is a translation of one of several terms used in Japan to describe its period of warfare in the 1930s and early 1940s, which includes Japan's part in World War II. The two major components of it were the Greater East Asia War in). This name was chosen by a cabinet decision on December 10December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 21 days remaining in the year. Events 1041 Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V. 1817, 1941, to refer to both the war with the United States and the ongoing war in China, which began with the China Incident (or Mukden Incident). The name was released to the public two days later, on December 12, with a government explanation that it referred to the motivation of Asian nations to achieve independence from the Western nations - it was not intented to set parameters for the battlefield. Soon after the start of the war with the USA, this term was prohibited in official documents, though some say its use continued.
• The war was from this point called Taiheiyo sensou (太平洋戦争) literally meaning the Pacific War. This latter term has been in use since that time.
• Less often, Jyugonen'sensou (十五年戦争 15 Year War) is used to refer to the war, beginning with the Japanese invasion of China in 1931 (also called the Sino-Japanese War) to the end of World War II in 1945. The term is used to highlight the rule of militarism over the years.