The Japanese were on a mission. They were determined to expand their empire, colonize China, and commit to anything that could help them achieve success. They had already shown aggression towards China starting in 1933, but by 1937 it was full on war. Japan soon took the upper hand and took over many northern cities important to China, and with their superior military China was having difficulty stopping them. This ultimately began WW2 in Asia, and soon enough more and more countries began to get involved as Japan continued to invade more countries.