Why The Japanese Invaded Manchuria

Essay by retardashous September 2007

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•Japan was hit badly by the depression as its main industry depended on its trade with the USA and China.

•After the Wall Street crash the USA and China put up trade barriers (tariffs) which meant that no one in those countries could buy Japanese goods.

•This caused the Japanese economy to brake down. Without this trade the Japanese could not feed its people. This left the country in crisis.

•The Japanese army thought that they had found the solution to Japan's problem- they needed to build up their empire, therefore they would have less of a need to trade with other countries.

•In 1931 an incident happened in Manchuria that gave Japan the opportunity it had been waiting for. Japan controlled the south Manchurian railway, they claimed that the Chinese had sabotaged the railway.

•In "retaliation" they invaded Manchuria and threw out all the Chinese forces and set up a puppet government•China then appealed to the league.

Japan claimed they were only settling a local dispute. They said that they had to invade in self-defence to keep peace in the area.

•The league sent out a group of official know as the Lytton commission to go asses the situation for themselves.

•It took them a full year before they presented their report, it was a well balanced report but it clearly stated that Japan had acted in the wrong, and that Manchuria should be returned to the Chinese.

•However instead of withdrawing from Manchuria Japan then announced that they intended to invade more of china (Jehol) they still argued that it was necessary in self-defence.

•On the 24th of February the report from the Lytton commission was approved by 42 votes-1 only Japan voted against it.

•Japan then decided to resign from...