ABSTRACT
The attack on Pearl Harbor brought an entirely new sense of urgency, anticipation, and optimism to the vast majority of the Japanese people. But while it was a dramatic turning point in their history, it was not the beginning of war for the people of Japan, for their military had been fighting since 1931 in China. Japanese initially viewed that fight not so much as a war, but as a necessary expansion required to enhance the economic and military viability of Japan under the guise of defending Asia against Western powers. Between the Manchurian Incident in 1931 and the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, there existed a prevailing sense that the Imperial Army was easily winning, or indeed had already won, control over much of China.
