Why did the Japanese invade Manchuria?
• Depression had hit Japan very badly, the country was struggling to feed the rapidly growing population as a result. The Japanese military believed that the problems could be solved by creating an empire to provide Japan with the resources it needed. • The Japanese military accused Chinese forces of blowing up the South Manchurian Railway. The railway transported goods from across Manchuria to Japan which were vital to the Japanese economy. It was a good excuse for the Japanese military to invade. • An empire would provide cheap raw materials for their ecomomy. Japan had very little iron ore or coal which could be secured in Manchuria, as well as enough land to grow food for the growing population. • The Japanese had long admired the British Empire. Japan felt they could buildan empire in Asia as Britain had done in other areas of the world. Why did the League fail to deal effectively with Japan? • The League was too slow to act. It took the League a full year to produce a report on t
