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Some historians like to argue that World War II officially began once Japan invaded China, along with other neighboring countries. Their conquests helped to strengthen their army and empire, making them a bigger threat to the US during the war. -
When entering the war, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy; this entered them into the Axis Powers. Although they assisted during the war, their main goal was to expand their empire in order to obtain more resources. -
Japan' Imperial Navy Air Service planned the Attack on Pearl Harbor as a surprise strike against the US, attacking their naval base. Japan was hoping to weaken the US with this attack; however, the results were the opposite of what they wanted and was overall unsuccessful. This caused the US to enter into the war. -
The Imperial Japanese Army forced their 60,000 to 80,000 American and FIlipino prisoners of war to march roughly 66 miles in order to be loaded onto trains. During this march, thousands of troops died due to dehydration, starvation, and harsh violence; many civilians were killed, too, for attempting to help/feed these prisoners. -
Japan fought the United States in a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater, lasting from June 4th to June 7th in 1942. The US had a decisive victory due to its successful defense. Japan's original intention was to neutralize the US as a naval power, but this didn't happen. -
Japan fought the US forces' "Operation Cottage" in order to keep their occupation over the island; Japan had occupied the island since June 1942. But in the end, US forces landed on the island of Attu in their "Operation Landcrab," defeating the Japanese garrison stationed there. The Imperial Japanese Navy successfully evacuated the island, once again losing land to the US. -
The Japanese Imperial army fought against the US Marine Corps and Navy; the US won this battle after five arduous weeks and captured the island of Iwo Jima. This battle depicts one of the most iconic war pictures in US history with the Marines pushing up the American flag in victory. This was another failure for the Japanese troops. -
The US created the first ever atomic bombs with the Manhattan Project. They detonated two nuclear weapons over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing between 129,000 and 226,000 people. This led to Japan's eventual surrender. -
Emperor Hirohito officially announced the surrender of the Imperial Japanese army on August 15th, making him the first emperor to directly interfere with his government. He formally signed a peace treaty, bringing the official end to World War II. -
After the end of World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army general and Prime Minister of Japan attempted to commit suicide in order to avoid persecution. However, the Allies treated his wounds so that he could stand trial for war crimes. He was found guilty and executed by hanging on December 23rd, 1948.