Causes of Expansion
- The impact of Japanese nationalism and militarism on foreign policy
- Japanese Domestic Issues
- Political Instability in China
Events
- Japanese invasion of Manchuria and northern China (1931)
- Sino-Japanese War (1937–1941)
- The Three Power/Tripartite Pact; the outbreak of war; Pearl Harbor (1941)
Responses
- League of Nations and the Lytton report
- Political developments within China—the Second United Front
- International response, including US initiatives and increasing tensions between the US and Japan
Background
- In 1854, the Kanagawa Treaty was signed, which agreed to open ports for the US.
Causes of nationalism/militarism
- Victory in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars
- Need for resources
- Need for security
- Desire to be seen as equal to Europeans
- Revanchism: aiming to seek revenge for the humiliation of the triple intervention
- Failure to introduce racial equality in the League of Nations
- The 1925 Public Security Preservation Law, which was implemented even during the Taisho Democracy period
China
- In 1915, Japan presented the 21 Demands to China, which aimed to control Chinese territory and infrastructure. The demands were later decreased to 13 and accepted.
- The Boxer Rebellion, an anti-colonial movement
Resources