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Emperor of Japan
Hirohito was emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. He took over at time of rising democratic sentiment, but his country soon turned toward ultra-nationalism and militarism. -
The Tripartite Pact
Beginning in 1938, the U.S. adopted a succession of increasingly restrictive trade restrictions with Japan. This included terminating its 1911 commercial treaty with Japan in 1939, further tightened by the Export Control Act of 1940. These efforts failed to deter Japan from continuing its war in China, or from signing the Tripartite Pact in 1940 with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, officially forming the Axis Powers. -
War plans
the Japanese Cabinet met to consider the war plans prepared by imperial General Headquarters, and decided go to war. -
An offensive surprise.
The Empire of Japan launched a surprise offensive which opened with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Over the course of seven hours there were coordinated Japanese attacks on the U.S.-held Philippines, Guam and Wake Island and on the British Empire in Borneo, Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The goals of the offensive were to cripple the U.S. Pacific fleet, capture oil fields in the Dutch East Indies, and maintain their sphere of influence of China, East Asia, and also Korea. -
U.S. bombarded
Japanese planes bombarded the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii, destroying 18 ships and killing almost 2,500 men. -
War declaration
United States declared War to Japan. -
Japan bombed.
Japan was bombed for the first time in the Doolittle Raid. -
Prisoners of war
General Douglas Mac Arthur and President Manuel L. Quezon were forced to flee in the face of Japanese advance. the worst defeats suffered by the Americans leaving over 70,000 American and Filipino Prisoners. -
The largest military personnel.
Singapore, due to the overwhelming superiority of Japanese forces, fell to the Japanese, causing the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. -
Agree about the war agains Japan.
The U.S.. the U.K. and the USSR had agreed that the USSR would enter the war on Japan within three months of the defeat of Germany in Europe.
