Japan controlled parts of China due to its imperial ambitions, driven by a need for raw materials, markets, and strategic buffer zones against the Soviet Union, using pretexts like the 1931 Mukden Incident to invade resource-rich Manchuria and later escalating into the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) to establish economic dominance and puppet states. Japan sought to exploit China's vast resources and labor, viewing it as essential for its own economic and military expansion, partly under the guise of the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere".
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the Chinese became commonplace.
Much of north, east and south China was occupied by the Japanese military, or by Chinese “client regimes” backed by the Japanese military, in the period between December 1937 and August 1945.
The initial confused and sporadic skirmishing soon escalated into a full-scale battle. Unlike Japan, China was unprepared for total war and had little military-industrial strength, no mechanized divisions, and few armoured forces.
When Japan was finally defeated in 1945, China was on the winning side, but lay devastated, having suffered some 15 million deaths, massive destruction of industrial infrastructure and agricultural production, and the shattering of the tentative modernization begun by the Nationalist government.
The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people during the war, including 8.7 million military and 19 million civilians. This represents the most military deaths of any nation by a large margin. Germany sustained 5.3 million military losses, mostly on the Eastern Front and during the final battles in Germany.
China dominates in raw numbers across the board, fielding a massive 2 million troops and a huge inventory of armor and aircraft, supported by a $230B budget. Japan's Self-Defense Forces, while smaller (240K troops, $53B budget), are known for their high-tech, modern equipment and training.
Notwithstanding the superior Sino-German economic relationship, Hitler concluded that Japan would be a more reliable geostrategic partner and chose to end his alliance with the Chinese as the price of gaining an alignment with the more modern and militarily powerful Japan.
On September 18, 1931, an explosion destroyed a section of railway track near the city of Mukden. The Japanese, who owned the railway, blamed Chinese nationalists for the incident and used the opportunity to retaliate and invade Manchuria.
Another way to look at the age of a country is when it became a sovereign state:
Okinawa was so bloody due to Japan's fanatical, entrenched defense using tunnels and caves, a "fight to the death" strategy to inflict maximum casualties before a mainland invasion, massive kamikaze attacks, brutal close-quarters combat, and high civilian involvement, resulting in staggering losses for both sides and signaling the horrific cost of invading Japan itself, as noted in The National WWII Museum and Wikipedia.
Analysis and hindsight from historians over the years that have followed have led to a view that Japan regretted its decision to attack Pearl Harbor. In 2014, a biography on Emperor Hirohito revealed that the Japanese leader was wary of attacking the USA and that doing so could have consequences for his nation.
It is conventionally regarded that the shogunate imposed and enforced the sakoku policy in order to remove the colonial and religious influence of primarily Spain and Portugal, which were perceived as posing a threat to the stability of the shogunate and to peace in the archipelago.
Apart from tourism, Japan is heavily dependent on China for supply of critical minerals used in items from electronics to cars.
The "Japan 5-minute rule" refers to extreme punctuality, meaning you should arrive 5-10 minutes before a scheduled time, as being exactly on time is considered late, demonstrating respect and reliability, a concept sometimes called "5-minute prior action" (５分前行動). It highlights Japanese culture's emphasis on preparedness, where trains are so precise that delays over 5 minutes get official notes, making being early a crucial part of business and social etiquette.
1. United States. The United States ranks at the top in the list of the top 10 powerful countries. The United States has one of the most powerful and modern militaries in the world.
China's "3-hour rule" for minors restricts children under 18 to playing online video games for only three hours per week, specifically from 8 PM to 9 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, to combat gaming addiction and improve health. Implemented by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) in 2021, the rule mandates gaming companies use real-name verification and facial recognition to enforce limits, though some children bypass it using adult accounts.
The Japanese, naturally, were disappointed to hear of Hitler's death. They were more concerned, however, over how Germany would react. After the collapse of the fascist regime in Italy, Italian fascists formed a rump state and continued to fight on, and the Japanese hoped that Germany would do the same.
The Nazis considered Jews to be their number one enemy. During World War II, Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators murdered six million Jews in a genocide now known as the Holocaust.
The United States. Since World War II, Japan's most important tie has been with the United States. Japan's mutual defense treaty with the United States is central to its security. The United States is committed to defend Japan and maintains military bases in Japan partially for that purpose.
The Japanese 80% rule, called Hara Hachi Bu (腹八分), is a Confucian teaching to stop eating when you're about 80% full, not stuffed, promoting mindful eating, moderation, and longevity, common in Okinawa, a region with many centenarians, helping to prevent overeating and support healthy digestion by allowing the brain time to register fullness.
The United States is consistently ranked as having the #1 most powerful military in the world for 2025 by organizations like Global Firepower and Business Insider. This ranking stems from its massive defense budget, advanced technology, global power projection, and dominance in air, sea, and cyber warfare, though China has the largest number of active personnel.
On 2 September 1945, Japanese forces officially surrendered to the Republic of China, ending the brutal occupation which began in 1937. Since the end of the subsequent Chinese Civil War, this victory has been marked separately by the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).