What was japans policy of expansion motivated by?

Answer 1

Not economics as some have suggested. Instead Japan's aggression was primarily motivated by the lust for territorial expansion & thirst for power & glory for the Army. The Japanese Army, which had control of the Japanese government, was obsessed with the idea of conquering China for many years prior to the July 7, 1937 incident at the MarcoPoloBridge that started their invasion. In 1894, Japan provoked a war with China, to successfully seize control of Korea. In 1895 the Japanese forced the Chinese to give the island of Formosa (Taiwan) to them. In 1904 the Japanese invaded southern Manchuria, starting a war with Russia that controlled this part of China. In 1905 the Russians agree to end the fighting by giving their portion of Manchuria to Japan. In the First World War 1914-1918, Japan seizes territories from Germany: China's ShantungPeninsula, the MarianasIslands, the Caroline Islands and the Marshall Islands. On September 8, 1931 the Japanese Army (without orders from the government) creates the "Mukden Incident' that allowed them to seize the remainder of Manchuria, previously a part of China.

This obsession on the part of the Japanese Army was so strong, that it would cause the Japanese to attack the United States (and the British & Dutch) on December 7/8, 1941. The Japanese wanted to prevent the United States from helping China or otherwise interfering in the Japanese conquest of China.