The Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria
Japanese troops stage an attack on a railway line as a pretext to invade Manchuria
Outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident leads to full-scale war between Japan and China.
Signing of the Tripartite Pact
Japan formally joins Germany and Italy, forming the Axis powers.
The attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the American naval base at Hawaii without a declaration of war.
Fall of Singapore
British troops surrender in Singapore, one of the greatest Japanese victories.
The Battle of Midway
A crucial naval battle in which Japan loses four aircraft carriers and loses the initiative in the Pacific
fall of Saipan
American troops conquer Saipan, bringing the Japanese homeland within reach of bombers.
Bombing of Tokyo
American firebombs destroy large parts of Tokyo and kill tens of thousands of civilians.
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States drops atomic bombs on two Japanese cities, with devastating consequences.
Japanese surrender
Emperor Hirohito announces the surrender of Japan, bringing World War II to an end.
The attack on Pearl Harbor
In a surprise attack, Japanese fighter planes bombed the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto had planned the attack to temporarily disable the American navy, so that Japan would have free rein in Southeast Asia. However, the attack immediately drew the United States into the war and would ultimately prove disastrous for Japan.