1. Short Term Causes - Pacific
By Aidan, Olivia, Hannah and Sammie

2. The Second Sino-Japanese War
Pressured by the military, Konoe permitted troop strength in China to grow and by the end of the year Japanese forces had occupied Shanghai, Nanking, and southern Shanxi province. After seizing the capital of Nanking, the Japanese brutally sacked the city in late 1937 and early Pillaging the city and killing nearly 300,000.
By 1940, the war had become a stalemate with the Japanese controlling the coastal cities and railroads and the Chinese occupying the interior and countryside.
On September 22, 1940, taking advantage of France's defeat that summer, Japanese troops occupied French Indochina. Five days later, the Japanese signed the Tripartiate Pact effectively forming an alliance with Germany and Italy.

3. Conflict with the soviet union
While operations were ongoing in China, Japan became involved in border war with the Soviet Union in Beginning with the Battle of Lake Khasan (July 29-August 11, 1938), the conflict was a result of a dispute over the border of Manchu China and the Russia. Also known as the Changkufeng Incident, the battle resulted in a Soviet victory and expulsion of the Japanese from their territory. The two clashed again in the larger Battle of Khalkhin Gol (May 11-September 16, 1939) the following year. Led by General Georgy Zhukov, Soviet forces decisively defeated the Japanese, killing over 8,000. As a result of these defeats, the Japanese agreed to the Soviet- Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941.

4. Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbour was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, the attack happened on the morning of December 7, The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II. This attack resulted in the beginning of the Pacific war.

5. Brief Overview
Japan became a very powerful nation considering how isolated it was
Japan became increasingly aggressive because of their economic situation deteriorating
They attacked China after having a truce with them to gain territory and increase the economy
The US got involved (only verbally) as China was an interest to them with trade and didn't want
that relationship to be taken from the Japanese.
The Japanese attacked pearl harbor which was a major cause of WW2