Why did Japan enter World War II?
Japan had fallen more and more under the influence of militarists since the 1920s, leading it to invade China in 1937 and to invade Russia from China in 1939, although they were driven out by the Russians, with whom they were at peace until 1945. In an attempt to curb Japan’s aggression Great Britain, the USA and the Dutch East Indies imposed an iron and steel embargo in 1939. Japan’s intention to invade much of south-east Asia led to the surprise attack on Pearl harbour, in the hope that this would prevent the USA from making any worthwhile contribution to events in the Pacific. This effectively ended the USA’s policy of isolationism. It is interesting to note that the USA only became involved in the war when Germany declared war on the United States.
Japan started World War II. I am not making this up (as Dave Barry would say). The fighting that later became known as World War II started when Japan attacked China in 1931 and took Manchuria as its colony. The League of Nations thought that it was too much trouble to stop Japan and that’s when the Kellog-Briand Pact unraveled. Other countries, especially Germany and Italy, thought that if Japan could get away with naked aggression, so could they. Italy attacked Ethiopia (The L of N did nothing), Germany attacked Czechoslovakia, Austria and Poland (the L of N did nothing) and the rest, as they say, is history. You know it all. Now, as for Japan’s version: The Japanese Ministry of Indoctrination (er, excuse me, I meant to say “Education”) wants Japanese to think that it was some natural disaster that befell Japan out of the blue. In fact, they teach Japanese that World War II was something that happened in Europe, that the “Pacific War” (interesting oxymoron) was an unrelated occurrenc
