The first cause of World War II in Asia was Japan’s need for raw materials. Japan is a country that had few raw materials, and it was afraid of its burgeoning economy. Therefore, to get some raw materials, Japan decided to invade Manchuria to acquire some raw materials, and it also planned to get these raw materials from other countries in Asia. Militaristic leadership in Japan led to world war because even though Japan was a monarchy, the dominant group was comprised of militaristic generals who opted to use war to solve any problems in Japan instead of relying on diplomacy. The generals used the name of the emperor to drum up support for the war and silence those who opposed it.
There were tensions between Japan and America. The tensions arose during world war I, and the two countries became suspicious of each other even though they were allies during world war I. The Japanese feared the Americans who were powerful and had a strong economic interest in the region. On the other hand, the Americans did not trust the Japanese. Hence tensions arose due to economic competition, and each country was making advances in dominating the region.
World War two started in the Pacific when Japan invaded Pearl Harbor, which saw the coming of the US into the war. However, the main cause why Japan started the war in the pacific was its bid to acquire raw materials to cater to the needs of its citizens. France joined the US in an attempt to contain it. Japan attacked China, and they defeated it; however, this did not keep the Chinese down, and they fought back. The US was against the war by Japan, protested Japan’s military action, and cut trade with Japan, which relied on America for its industrial imports. This led Japan to plan an attack on the US. In the surprise attack, a big fleet of the US was taken out in the Pacific, and Japan was able to attack many other pacific countries.