While Hitler's Germany sought to extend its frontiers in Europe, in the Far East Japan was waging her own war. Japan was the most industrialised country in the Far East. She had suffered bad unemployment and loss of trade in the world depression of 1929-33. One solution to her problems was to seize an empire in which to settle her surplus population and obtain raw materials.

In 1931, the Japanese took Manchuria. Then in 1937 they launched a full-scale invasion of China. By 1939 they had conquered vast areas in Manchuria, including the richest part of China, her seaports, and industrial centres. But Britain, France and the USA sent arms to China, along the 'Burma Road' when her ports had been taken, and China was not crushed.

In 1940 the Germans defeated France and Holland. The British fleet was fully occupied in European and Mediterranean waters. Japan was suddenly free to move against the colonial possessions of France, Holland and Britain in Southeast Asia. The USA was now the only serious rival. In 1941 the Japanese took French Indo-China(Now Vietnam). But the Allies, alarmed at the growing strength of the Japanese, put sanctions on America's trade with Japan, cutting off her oil supplies. This meant that Japan had another reason for moving south, to conquer the Dutch East lndies and obtain the valuable oil located there.

Complicated negotiations took place between the USA and Japan in which both sides seemed to regard war as inevitable. President Roosevelt of the USA thought the American people would be willing to fight Japan and it was a way of getting them into World War Two. In October 1941, General Tojo, who represent the militarists in Japan, became Prime Minister. Japan also chose war. Germany and Italy, her allies, declared war on the USA as well.

The Japanese knew they did not have the strength to defeat both the USA and Britain. Their plan was to create an empire consisting of Malaya, Burma, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies and other islands, but not Australia. The Japanese reckoned they could resist naval attacks by the Americans. Their success depended on a surprise attack to wipe out the US Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbour in the Hawaiian Islands.

On 7 December 1941, powerful Japanese fleet under Admiral Nagumo, with six aircraft carriers, two battleships, three cruisers and nine destroyers, approached the US base at Pearl Harbour. Early that Sunday morning, when American hangovers from the night before could be expected to be at their worst, 360 Japanese aircraft swept into the attack. They were able to send back the radio code message 'Tora... Tora ... Tora!' ('Tiger ... Tiger ... Tiger!'), meaning 'Surprise complete'. The planes had been detected by radar at the base but the Americans assumed that they were friendly. The Japanese sank seven of the eight US battleship and eleven other ships. Many US aircraft were destroyed on the ground.

The attack was not a great knockout. The Japanese had not destroyed everything. Vast supplies of oil and three large US aircraft carriers remained intact. But the attack on Pearl Harbour succeeded in doing what the western Allies had been trying to do for the past two years. America was shocked out of her isolation and entered what had now become a truly world-wide war.

For the time being the Japanese had the upper hand in the Pacific and immediately embarked on the conquest of a vast empire in the East Indies.