Manchuria:
The Japanese population had out grown its natural resources, so the empire of the sun looked outward, saw the bounty of China and decided to take what it needed. The invasion left death and destruction. Cities, towns, and hamlets were leveled, looted, and burned. Anyone who didn't leave was subject to rape, imprisonment, enslavement, or death. In order to continue their consolidation of asia, Japan had to develop a biological and chemical arsenal far from the prying eyes of the world. In 1936 construction began on Unit 731. Thousands of Japanese scientists, doctors, dentists, ect. started dissecting live subjects to see how their bodies were functioning. The Japanese deliberately disobeyed the Geneva Protocol, which banned gas and biological weapons. The Japanese just saw them as words on paper, and nothing more.
Pearl Harbor
The attack on pearl harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941 was an unexpected attack. There were 353 japanese attack vessels and airplanes, which sank 4 american aircraft carriers and damaged 4 more. They sank 3 criusers, a minelayer, and 3 destroyers. In total, 188 american aircraft were destroyed and more than 2,400 lives were lost, with another 1,200 injuries.
This attack launched America into World War II, which prompted the reaserch which lead to the Manhattan project and ultimately the two atomic bombs being dropped on Japan. After the attack, the attitude of isolationism the general public of america had towards war was gone, replaced with an attitude of vengeance for the lives lost in Hawaii.
