Japan in WWII

Japanese Imperialism Japan had joined the Allied side of WWI very late in the war and participated in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Here they proposed a racial equality clause and were rejected 1924 US passed the Exclusion Act limiting Japanese immigration into the US Tensions between the Allies and Japan continued to grow throughout the 1930s

Early Troubles Between 1928-1932 Japan experienced a series of crises Falling prices, unemployment, falling exports all led to social unrest 1931 control slipped away from the government and the army took control and invaded Manchuria League of Nations condemned the action, but had to power to intervene

Invading Manchuria Created a puppet state in “Manchukuo” Japan withdrew from the League of Nations following criticism of the invasion of Manchuria

Sino-Japanese War Kwantung army invaded China and succeeded in occupying most of the coast Japanese forces treated civilians brutally

Sino-Japanese War Chinese Nationalists and the Chinese Communist Party agreed to work together to fight against Japan China received aid from Western Democracies Rape of Nanking December 1937 Japanese troops slaughtered an estimated 300,000 civilians and raped 80,000 women War had reached a stalemate by 1940 Economic sanctions against Japan would change the nature of the war

Japan Continues to Escalate 1940 Japan occupies French Indochina to block supply lines to China 1940 Japan signed the Tripartite Pact creating the Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis Strengthened the Anti-Comintern Pact signed in 1936