"...The Japanese military machine had been ‘built for war’, felt prepared for war, and would ‘welcome war’; that it had never yet been beaten and possessed unlimited self-confidence. After consolidating their position in Manchuria the Japanese military forces proceeded, early in January 1933, to extend the boundaries of the new puppet state by the occupation of the province of Jehol in North China. The Japanese Ambassador, in a conversation of January 5 with Secretary Stimson, stated that Japan had no territorial ambition south of the Great Wall. The Secretary reminded the Ambassador that a year previously the latter had said that Japan had no territorial ambitions in Manchuria. The Ambassador replied that no Japanese Cabinet which advocated a compromise on the Manchuria question could survive in Japan and that the Manchuria incident must be regarded as closed."
The United States Ambassador to Japan, Joseph C. Grew, reporting to Secretary Stimson on August 13, 1932 (1)
The United States Ambassador to Japan, Joseph C. Grew, reporting to Secretary Stimson on August 13, 1932 (1)
Causes of Expansion
The impact of Japanese nationalism and militarism on foreign policy
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Japanese domestic issues: political and economic issues, and their impact on foreign relations
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Political instability in China
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Japan's Baptism of Fire: World War I put the country on a collision course with west
Japan Times |
In these lessons (from "Flippinghistory.net) there are a number of nice activities including a hexagon sorting activity, a chronology "card sort" and a historical "write around".
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Events
Japanese invasion of Manchuria and northern China (1931)
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Sino-Japanese War (1937–1941)
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The Three Power/Tripartite Pact; the outbreak of war; Pearl Harbor (1941
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(1) From US Department of State, Peace and War: United States Foreign Policy, 1931–1941, 1943