>>17890906
>The IJA btfoโd
Bullshit.
Japan literally invaded French Indochina in 1940 and activated its war plans against the US/UK/Dutch to seize SEA because Japan failed to conquer China.
Japan either had to totally defeat and comquer all of China by 1940, or go to war against all the west in SEA and consume ALL the output of the East Indies oil fields.
Because even WITH the oil that the US, UK and Dutch sold to Japan against China from 1937-1940, Japan was running out of fuel for its air wings and tanks and trucks.
Japan lost tens of thousands of soldiers and expended millions of litres of fuels at battles they won like Shanghai and Hankou, while Japan lost even more at battles they lost like Taierzhuang, Changsha in 1937-1940.
Another "victory" like the battles of Shanghai or Wuhan-Hankou would expend Japan's fuel reserves to the breaking point, even with the oil the US sold them.
Japan tried to totally defeat China in 1940 by severing all its land borders and starve it, at the battle of Kunlun pass to cut off China's land borders with French Indochina, and Japan attempted to cut the Gansu corridor to the Soviet Union at the battle of West suiyuan.
Britain already agreed with Japan to cut off the Burma road into China in early 1940.
Japan failed at both objectives.
Japan lost kunlun pass and failed to invade Ningxia and Gansu at West Suiyuan in 1940.
Japan also lost the battle of Changsha in 1939.
Japan was then forced to invade French Indochina in 1940 to cut China's border from the French side and prepared to seize SEA by war against the US, so it could obtain more oil to continue the war in China.