This transcript discusses the buildup of tensions between Japan and other countries leading up to their entrance into World War II, including their expansion in French Indochina and the resulting economic sanctions enacted by the United States and other countries.
Japan's move southward into French Indo-China, including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, was seen as a major threat to the United States, as the raw materials Japan was securing were needed by the US. This prompted serious sanctions from the US, with demands for Japan to withdraw from China as well.
This episode discusses Winston Churchill's perspective on the drastic application of economic sanctions in Japan in July 1941, which ultimately forced Japan to choose between reaching a diplomatic agreement with the United States or going to war, and how the navy slowly moved towards the army's position due to the imposed sanctions.