Question

Which statement best explains Japan’s relationship to Western imperialism?

Answer 1

Japan opposed imperialism and fought for Asian sovereignty... 

Answer 2

The correct answer is "Japan opposed imperialism and fought for Asian sovereignty.".

The Japanese Empire had entered an aggressive industrialization policy with the start of the Meiji Period in 1868. The governing regime understood that in order to fuel its development, the needed a vast amount of resources which they did not possess and therefore, had to import. After siding with the Allies in the First World War, Japan decided to enter an expansionary policy during the Second World War that led it to invade mainland China and numerous countries in Southeastern Asia in the search for these resources. The policy eventually backfired with its defeat in 1945.