The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire. #history

[TheFoox]

Well there's probably at least 2 pretty big reasons.

[BillGreenAZ]

First, make sure your main energy source isn't imported.

[WizardFsh]

Attacking 2 superpowers and basically the entire world at once, pretty obvious what was going to happen

[casbot]

Well most of that was empty ocean.
If that was all landmass it would be a vastly different story.

[azhariarif]

They underestimated Uncle Sam's ability to throw hands.

[ChefBoy_]

It's easy to take land that is undefended. It's harder to defend it. It's easier to defend home land than it is to take home lands.

[pyclboc]

My grandfather told me his experiences during the fall of Fuzhou under Japanese occupation (1941 and 1943). The first one is that once Japanese soldier went into the house, all females would put some charcoal powder and dirt on their faces or they would be sexually abused.
The second one is that he was sick at the time and one kind Japanese soldier gave him some medicine cured him.

[kristeinsalmath]

Conquest is something
Manage it is other.

[breadloafbrad]

Island hopping and the Manhattan project come to mind 😂

[edwardblair]

As someone who has been watching the WW2 "in real time" YouTube channel, there are a lot of complex reasons that Japan both wanted and were able to grab the empire that they got. And some of the reasons they lost it are the same as how they managed to get it.
At the end of the 19th century, as the active colonialism period was ending, Japan was the last major region that had not been put under control. Between wining a war against Russia and then joining the winning side in WW1, they got their first taste of colonial conquest. Of course the other "great powers" were never going to really admit Japan to the game as an equal, so there would be plenty of Japanese resentment and European underestimation of Japan's capabilities to fuel their rapid conquest.

[SecondProtagonist]

Thailand is not their colony. They're allies

[DSnalomega]

One thing I learnt here is that if you want a powerful nation have an island nation.
OMG this comment actually got 100 above likes it was meant to be a Joke thanks guys 🤣🤣

[MultiJesselee]

At the peak they also had control over some of the Aleutian islands in the Alaskan island chain. The map that you were displaying does not completely show the grand scale of their conquered territory.

[rickiex]

All things considered, imperial japan was scary af to have been able to do ALL of that being so small. Its insane, no one have thought possible back then.

[cherubinth]

Japanese realized either you become a colonial power or USA/European will colonize you

[username]

If we go by most land area at largest extent, Japanese empire is not even top 10 largest empires. Only 12th.

[Robertseley]

They were also extremely overextended trying to control that much territory

[nelsonchereta]

The answer is simple, you do NOT touch America's boats!

[tmanthemost]

It was basically the world vs Germany and Japan

[dariyababumalapati]

Japanese at that time were crazy, most of them were literally crazy.