The conquest of Manchuria-a land rich in natural resources- was widely seen as an economic "lifeline" to save Japan from the effects of the Great Depression, generating much public support.[3] The American historian Louise Young described Japan from September 1931 to the spring of 1933 as gripped by "war fever" as the conquest of Manchuria proved to be an extremely popular war.[4] The metaphor of a "lifeline" suggested that Manchuria was crucial to the functioning of the Japanese economy, which explains why the conquest of Manchuria was so popular and why afterwards Japanese public opinion was so hostile towards any suggestion of letting Manchuria go.[5] At the time, censorship in Japan was nowhere near as stringent as it later became, and Young noted: "Had they wished, it would had been possible in 1931 and 1932 for journalists and editors to express anti-war sentiments".
It could be argued that the US were punishing Japan by witholding resources because of their activities in Manchuria - however the sheer fact that the US were aware well in advance of Japanese intentions to initiate hostilities in the Pacific and did nothing to stop it , one can only believe that the US 's intentions were to goad Japan's entry into war
