World War II was a global conflict fought for six years. The first conflict began in Asia between China and Japan, then in Europe when Germany invaded Poland. The War in Asia, otherwise called the Second Sino-Japanese War, was the largest Asian war of the 20th century. Japan's long desire to invade China and dominate it politically and militarily led the Japanese to invade Manchuria, attack Pearl Harbor, and finally surrender after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan's lust to dominate China and its raw materials led not only to the involvement of the United States in World War II, but also to the creation of the atomic bomb and the destruction of Japan's two major cities. Japan's decisions and actions led to the loss of many lives and eventual surrender in World War II, but through the fire and smoke, Japan grew and matured to become one of the most prosperous nations in the world. During the 1920s, Japan had begun a plan of expansion into Manchuria and then into China soon after. So, to discourage these plans, America instituted embargoes and sanctions. In 1940, Japan felt the weight of the American Export Control Act and so, to preserve its expansion goals, felt it had no choice but to launch a pre-emptive strike against the United States. Under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Japan gathered intelligence, developed battle plans, and trained pilots for several months. Japan believed that by attacking first it would be able to prevent American forces in the Pacific from interfering with Japan's plans to invade the United Kingdom's colonies. They had no idea that such a move would start an all-out war between the two countries. The approximately two hours of bombing of Japan that remained... middle of paper... went into effect in 1952. After the war and after witnessing all the destruction, Japan adopted the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which stipulate that "Japan will not possess or produce nuclear weapons, nor permit their introduction into Japanese territory." After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese strongly opposed any type of nuclear weapon on Japanese soil or waters. They witnessed the destructive and volatile properties of nuclear weapons and became one of the pioneers against the use or creation of such weapons. Now, if you look at Japan, you see the second largest economy in the world and the world leader in technology and machinery. Not only did Japan have to endure one of the most destructive catastrophes in world history, but it was also able to grow from that experience and become a great, prosperous nation..