Melani,two sides to EVERY story.

The Japanese characterized their expansion like this:The Far East as a geographic area,and orientals as a race,taking control of their own destiny. There is no doubt that the European Colonial Powers had set the stage for this justification,as they all claimed territory and trading monopolies in the orient.The Boxer Rebellion was an early manifestation of oriental anger.

Couple this political cause with the traditional unquestioning loyalty of the Japanese Military,and you have the recipe for imperial expansion. The fact that the Japanese Army slaughtered thousands in Manchuria and other areas in the process of representing the Rising Sun of Asia didn't seem to compromise the initial justification.