Japan Invades Manchuria - Francisco Rosales

The Japanese invasion of Manchuria began in September 19, 1931. Essentially, this was an attempt by the japanese empire to gain control over the whole province, in order to eventually encompass all of East Asia. This proved to be one of the causes of World War II. Japan had invested vast sums of money into the economy of Manchuria, which was effectively controlled by the South Manchuria Railway Company. In 1937 Japan invaded China and, after the collapse of France, moved to acquire bases in French Indo-China, this led by degrees to the war in the Pacific, especially after the US oil embargo in July 1941. Japan struck at US and UK bases in December 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a preventitive action in order to keep US Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia.