<P> Japan had been involved in the Asian continent continuously from the First Sino - Japanese War, Boxer Rebellion, Russo - Japanese War, World War I and the Siberian Intervention . During the term of Prime Minister Tanaka Giichi from 1927 to 1929, Japan sent troops three times to China to obstruct Chiang Kai - shek's unification campaign . In June 1928, adventurist officers of the Kwantung Army embarked on unauthorized initiatives to protect Japanese interests in Manchuria, including the assassination of a former ally, warlord Zhang Zuolin, in hopes of sparking a general conflict . </P> <P> The Manchurian Incident of September 1931 did not fail, and it set the stage for the Japanese military takeover of all of Manchuria . Kwantung Army conspirators blew up a few meters of South Manchurian Railway Company track near Mukden, blamed it on Chinese saboteurs, and used the event as an excuse to invade and seize the vast territory . </P> <P> In Tokyo one month later, in the Imperial Colors Incident, military figures failed in an attempt to establish a military dictatorship, but again the news was suppressed and the military perpetrators were not punished . </P> <P> In January 1932, Japanese forces attacked Shanghai in the First Shanghai Incident, waging a three - month undeclared war there before a truce was reached . The civilian government in Tokyo was powerless to prevent these military adventures, and instead of being condemned, the Kwangtung Army's actions enjoyed considerable popular support . </P>

What kind of government did japan adopt after world war ii