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Joshua and Natalie
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Japan invades Manchuria
In 1931, Japanese foreces took control of Manchuria to gain resources. As a result, Japan took some of China's land. -
Japan invades Eastern China
In 1937, Jpan invaded Eastern China to become more powerful. This caused the Chinese government to retreat to the interior of the country. -
World War two
While World War two broke out in Europe, Japan turned their attention to Southeast Asia, which was controlled by Europe, because they needed mineral resources such as oil and rubber and Southeast Asia was rich in all of these. Also, Japan's government created a "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere' which was supposed unite East and Souteast Asia under Japan's rule. In addition, Japan strengthened its relationship with Germany and Italy. -
Attack at Pearl Harbor
The Japanese government attacked the military base, Pearl Harbor, because Japan's expansion in Asia created tensions with the U.S. cauing them to prepare for war. This bombing led to the Pacific War. -
Japan rules an empire
Japan ruled an empire which stretched from the Aleutian Islands in the south to the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific, and to the Wake Island west to Burma. Since Japan suffered major defeats against the U.S., they were driven from the islands they had taken. -
America attacks Japan
In order to end the war once and for all, America decided to use a secret weapon: the atomic bomb. They dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Few days later, they dropped a bigger on on the city of Nagasaki. The bombings made Japan realize that they had to surrender. After the war, an American army governed Japan, and Japan was given a democratic constitution that ended the power of the military.
