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Japan Invades China and small Pacific Islands
Seeking to gain more territory, Japan invaded the mainland. At the time, Japan was just a small chain of islands. Because of their small size, they had few natural resources, so they relied on bigger countries such as China and America to provide them with the resources they needed. With Japan fearing another major war coming, they were building up their army and needed some resources that they didn't have. Knowing that there were oil fields on other islands and the mainland, Japan invaded. -
Rape of Nanjing
Japan invaded the city of Nanjing. They looted, abused, and killed the Chinese there. When America intervened and sent the USS Panay, Japan destroyed the ship. Nanjing was a major port. The river that led to the city was surrounded by higher grounds, making it easy to ambush the USS Panay. -
Pacific Fleet moves to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Rising tension between Japan and the U.S. influenced President Franklin Roosevelt to move the Pacific Fleet from California to Hawaii. By moving the fleet closer to Japan, we could keep a closer eye on Manila and be more ready to defend the island. The U.S. congress never suspected that Japan would come and attack Pearl Harbor before Manila. -
Oil and Steel Embargo; Freezing of Japanese Assets
America cut off all oil and steel supplies to Japan, limiting their resources. This made Japan desperate for more resources. America cut off the oil because of the past four years of conflict between Japan and the surrounding areas. By cutting off the oil and steel, we hoped to discourage Japan from attempting to conquer more land. -
Japan Controls Majority of Pacific Islands
Japan successfully invaded and gained control of most small islands, and was moving deeper into the mainland. Despite Americas efforts to stop Japan from continuing its reign over the eastern part of Asia, they successfully took control of the Pacific islands. As they were gaining more power, Japan was slowly moving farther and farther into eastern Asia. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor's ships, airfields, and buildings.
