Chapter 1. The Approach of War
In the 1920s Japan appeared to be on the road to Westernization. However, the Great Depression savaged its economy and Japan's right-wing militarists saw the answer in aggression, launching wars of conquest in Manchuria and China in the 1930s.
When Japan assumed a protectorate over French Indochina in July 1941, the United States suspended all financial relations with the aggressor. Japan was cut off from oil, rubber, and steel supplies. A war with the United States was now inevitable. It broke out when Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Chapter 3. The Defeat of the British and Dutch
In December 1941 Japanese troops launched lightning strikes against the Pacific. They overran Malaya, Hong Kong, Burma, and the Dutch East Indies. An Allied fleet was defeated at the Battle of the Java Sea and British prestige received a heavy blow when the Japanese captured Singapore.
Chapter 4. The Fall of the Philippines
In December 1941 Japanese troops under the command of General Homma invaded the Philippines, defended by U.S. and Filipino soldiers commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. Though MacArthur and his men put up a dogged resistance, the Japanese were masters of the Philippines by May 1942.
Timeline September 1939 - September 1945
