STEP #9 - Problems with Japan
Japanese expansion in East Asia began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria and continued in 1937 with a brutal attack on China. In September 1940, Japan occupied northern Indochina and later signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus entering the military alliance known as the "Axis." Seeking to curb Japanese aggression and force a withdrawal of Japanese forces from Manchuria and China, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Japan. The United States prohibited the export of steel, scrap iron, and aviation gasoline to Japan. Roosevelt also approved a loan of $100 million to the Nationalist Chinese under the provisions of the Lend-Lease Act to combat Japanese aggression. Not quite a year later, in July 1941, Japan occupied southern Indochina. This time, Britain and the Netherlands joined the United States' protest by freezing Japanese assets. That meant that Japan was prevented from purchasing the oil needed to fuel its army, navy, and air force. |
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Still, Japan was determined to carve out a new empire. Faced with severe shortages of oil and other natural resources and driven by the ambition to displace the United States as the dominant Pacific power, Japan decided to attack the United States and British forces in Asia and seize the resources of Southeast Asia. On December 1, 1941, Japan's premier Hideki Tojo concluded, "Japan has no other way than to wage war . . . to secure its existence and self-defense." On Sunday, December 7, Japan attacked American military installations in Hawaii, trying to cripple the US Pacific fleet and set the stage for their dominance in the Pacific.