Key Dates and Events

September 1931Manchurian Incident

1932 More Assassinations; PM Inukai, last party PM assassinated

1933 Japan withdraws from the League of Nations

1934 Washington Naval Treaty System of 1922 declared unacceptable

Feb. 26, 1936 2-26 Incident, a nearly successful military coup d'etat by Young Officers

Nov. 25, 1936 Japan and Germany sign Anti-Comintern Pact to oppose USSR

July 7, 1937 "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" and beginning of the "China Incident," an undeclared war between Japan and China

July 31st Peking Falls

August 1937 Expansion of China War to Shanghai

Dec. 12, 1937 Japanese troops perpetrate the infamous "Rape of Nanking"

Jan. 16, 1938 "Aite ni sezu" Declaration by Konoe Cabinet--no longer recognizes Nationalist Govt of Jiang Kaishek

Nov. 1938 "New Order in East Asia" Proclaimed

May 1938 onwards indiscriminate bombing of Chinese capitol at Chungking

Late 1938 - early1939 "3 Alls" policy in N. China: burn all, kill all, steal all

Sept. 27, 1940: Conclusion of Tripartite Treaty with Germany and Italy

April 13, 1941: Signing of Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Treaty

July 28, 1941: Advancement into southern French Indochina

August 1941 Knone mewets Emperor who agrees to summit with FDR; US rejects

Oct. 18, 1941: Establishment of cabinet of Hideki Tojo after Konoe resigns

Tojo , Army's strongest advocate for war, felt Konoe lacked "firm beliefs and courage."

Nov. 8, 1941 Hirohito briefed on Pearl Harbor ; Nov. 15, shown full war plans

Nov. 27 Task Force w/ 6 carries leaves Japan for Hawaii

Dec. 1, 1941: Decision to wage war against United States, Britain and Netherlands made at Imperial Council meeting

Dec. 8, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7 U.S. time)

June 7, 1942: Defeat at Battle of Midway

July 7, 1944: Fall of Saipan, Mass suicides

July 18, 1944: Resignation en masse of Tojo Cabinet

March 10, 1945: Major Tokyo air raids

April 1, 1945: U.S. forces land on Okinawa

May 7, 1945: Germany unconditionally surrenders

July 27, 1945: Allied Powers issue Potsdam Declaration

Aug. 6, 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

Aug. 8, 1945: Soviet Union declares war against Japan

Aug. 9, 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

Aug. 14, 1945: Imperial Council accepts Potsdam Declaration

Aug. 15, 1945: Emperor's surrender rescript broadcast