It begs the question, what if we left the Japs alone when they invaded China before WWII. Would the Japs have turned into the real threat that today’s China turned out to be?
> Would the Japs have turned into the real threat that today’s China turned out to be? <
I’d have to say yes. The Japanese government thought the US would sue for peace right after Pearl Harbor. So Tojo drew up a proposed peace treaty. He wanted (among other things) Alaska, Hawaii, and Cuba!
The Japs wanted it all then. The Chinese want it all now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideki_Tojo#World_War_II