On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack and declaration of war against the United States. The attack was the culmination of growing tensions between the two countries that had been building since the early 1930s. From 1931 to that fateful day in 1941, Japan and America had maneuvered themselves in a political game of chess. The motivations that pushed Japan to enter the war can be summarized in two objectives. The first was Japan's quest for expansion and the second was defense against Western capitalism, which threatened Japan's prosperity. During World War I, Japan had successfully placed itself among the leaders of the Allied nations. Despite this, the Japanese fought against racial discrimination, which plagued Japanese-Western relations. However, racial discrimination was not one-sided, the Japanese firmly believed that they were spiritually superior to their Western counterparts. This superiority complex, combined with Japan's growth during the war, fueled imperialistic desires. Japan aspired to be a contender in the global market economy, but Japan lacked the vast resources that the United States and other Western allies possessed. During the Great Depression the Japanese economy was collapsing as exports declined, which in turn led to political upheaval. “The American Hawley-Smoot tariff in 1930, followed the next year by British imperial preference, threatened to cause permanent damage to the Japanese economy.” (Gordon, p. 140) Japan believed that political and economic control of China would provide the resources and security Japan needed to prosper. So in 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria in a ruthless attack led by the Kwantung Army. “Manchuria became so important that many economic…middle of paper…because of American attitudes.” (Gillon p. 952) On December 7, 1941, “the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor,” Hawaii and America entered World War II. (Gillon p. 952) The Japanese did not expect to fight the United States on land, they wanted control over the Asia Pacific region, so by choosing Pearl Harbor they were attempting to defeat the US forces in the Pacific. The Japanese superiority complex got the better of them, convinced that the United States would not defend the territory in the Pacific but would abandon it. Japan was wrong, the Pacific War was a brutal battle fought on the Pacific islands. “American forces steadily recaptured Japan's conquests and forced their way into Japan's home islands.” (Gillon p.978) The war ended in August 1945 when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Japan surrendered six days later.