Abstract
In 1926, Hirohito, the grandson of the Meiji emperor, reached the throne and chose Showa ("enlightened Peace") as the official name of his reign. However, the General Tanaka Giichi became Prime Minister in 1927, confirming the dominating role of the army. The fast industrialization of the country involved a strong growth of the production. In front of the insufficiency of its outlets on the domestic market, Japan took back its policy of aggressive expansion with regard to China. Having doubled its population since 1868, Japan argued soon in favour of an extension of space and its resources. That period was deeply marked with a great sense of nationalism. That subject is a very vast one, and leads to the development of many concepts, events, even controversies, and their consequences. Thus, I will first define the contextual background around that period. Then, I will deal with the main conflicts led by Japan which illustrate the expansionism of the country (but I won't depict precisely the battles during the conflicts-only the main facts-, since this essay is not about war strategies but more about the Japanese expansionist ideology and strategy).
