Why did japan attack islands of french Indochina?

Answer 1

Japan invaded all countries within 360 degree's of them. From Alaska, towards Australia (stopped by the Battle of the Coral Sea), and west of them in China. Russia (Soviet Union) was also fought at the Battle of Nomonhan in 1939. This battle, known as the Battle of Khalkhin-Gol by the Russians, is what put a stop to Japanese interests in the Soviet Union.

Answer 2

The initial motive behind the Japanese conquest of the Northern part of French Indochina in 1940 was to prevent the flow of supplies to Nationalist China. By cutting off the highways and railroads leading into the country, Japan hoped to remove one more avenue of foreign support for the Nationalists, so as to slowly starve their war effort to death. As for their extension of control over the whole of French Indochina in 1941, the Japanese considered the French garrison in the south to have outlived its usefulness, and needed the entirety of that colony's territory in order to develop infrastructure and deploy military forces for the planned campaign against the Allies to the south and west following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Answer 3

Resources. Rubber, oil, various metals, wood; all the things that Japan needed for industry, but didn't want to pay for. Most wars are caused by enormous cases of armed robbery. Japan attacked the United States fleet in Pearl Harbor to prevent the US from responding to Japanese invasions.

The curious thing is, if Japan had attacked ONLY places in southeast Asia, like Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, chances are that the US would not have gone to war. It was only the attack at Pearl Harbor that made Americans angry enough to go to war to utterly destroy Japan.

Answer 4

Japan wanted to cut of supplies to China which it had attacked three years earlier in its quest to control the Pacific Ocean.

Answer 5

Japan is allied with Germany during World War 2. Attacking french colonies is a strategy.