I think the Japanese were so hard to defeat because the Americans did not know they were going to join the war. The attack on Pearl Harbour had destroyed the most powerful ship in the US Navy. The USS Arizona had been sunk after heavy bombing. This served as the foothold the Japanese needed to attack the American province of the Philippines, and start a war with America.
When the Japanese were being defeated they were pushed back to the island of Iwo Jima where the Japanese airfields were based. The Japanese used sea mines and bombing planes to fight the ships near the island. The Americans sent more marines to that battle then to any other in the war. 110,000 US marines in 880 ships were sent to Iwo Jima to fight. The marines used flamethrowers to burn parts of the island in the hopes of annihilating the Japanese defenders. The American troops rarely saw a living Japanese soldier.
The Japanese had constructed bunkers and pillboxes all over the island and had perfect views of both the landing beaches and the Americans landing on them. There was no way the Americans could get on the beach without being fired on. They were completely defenceless with no firm ground to dig foxholes and take cover.
The Japanese made excellent use of camouflage and underground tunnels to defend their territories. This is why the Japanese defenders at Guadalcanal were so difficult to defeat. The Japanese Navy had formidable aircraft carriers and had realised that aircraft were the future of modern warfare, being able to travel faster than the infantry and retreating quicker.
The Japanese believed in their emperor and would not surrender. This showed that they were stubborn and was proved on the island of Iwo Jima. 22,000 Japanese troops were stationed on the island and retreated after losing over 20,000 of their comrades.
Mr H
Again, a very well written answer which deals with the military capabilities of the Japanese Empire.
But - and this is a big but - what about the psychology of the Japanese soldier, and of their nation - did that have any bearing on their determination not to be defeated easily?
How did their war effort compare to that of the Italians, or the Germans, or the Soviets?
