In 1931, Japan suffered the decline of exports due to the decline of trade in the Great Depression and the protectionist measures that the powers put in place to try to alleviate it. The commanders of the Kwantung Army, which protected the South Manchurian Railway, decided to occupy it, in the hope that the region would serve as a source of food and raw materials and as a market for Japanese products. The military command believed that the invasion would allow to reach the autarky that he considered necessary for the future war with the Western powers that he was convinced would explode.
