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Japan took over Manchuria, China. Manchuria's military forces were weak because they had not fully recovered from the civil war.
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Japan overpowered East China and the leaders were frightened and retreated to other areas of China.
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Europe was focused on World War II so Japan caught them off guard by taking over Southeast Asia
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Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii which caused the Pacific War between the United States and Japan
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United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and another one on Nagasaki
