Empire of Japan

====Japanese conquests====
[[File:JapaneseMarchSgpCity.jpg|thumb|Victorious Japanese troops marching through the city center of [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]] following the [[Fall of Singapore|city's capture]] in February 1942]]

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched offensives against Allied forces in East and Southeast Asia, with simultaneous attacks in [[History of colonial Hong Kong|British Hong Kong]], British Malaya and the [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Philippines]]. [[Battle of Hong Kong|Hong Kong surrendered]] to the Japanese on December 25. In [[Battle of Malaya|Malaya]] the Japanese overwhelmed an Allied army composed of British, Indian, [[Second Australian Imperial Force|Australian]] and [[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]] forces. The Japanese were quickly able to advance down the [[Malayan Peninsula]], forcing the Allied forces to retreat towards [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]]. The Allies lacked aircover and tanks; the Japanese had complete air superiority. The [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse|sinking of HMS ''Prince of Wales'' and HMS ''Repulse'']] on December 10, 1941, led to the east coast of Malaya being exposed to Japanese landings and the elimination of British naval power in the area. By the end of January 1942, the last Allied forces crossed the strait of Johore and into Singapore.

On January 11, 1942, a Japanese submarine shelled the United States naval Station at Pago Pago in Samoa, suggesting that the Japanese were advancing to the direction of Australia and nearby Oceanic regions.{{sfn|Morison|2010|page=259}}

In [[Battle of the Philippines (1941–42)|the Philippines]], the Japanese pushed the combined American-Filipino force towards [[Battle of Bataan|the Bataan Peninsula]] and later the [[Battle of Corregidor|island of Corregidor]]. By January 1942, [[General Douglas MacArthur]] and President [[Manuel L. Quezon]] were [[Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines|forced to flee]] in the face of Japanese advance. This marked one of the worst defeats suffered by the Americans, leaving over 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war in the custody of the Japanese. On February 15, 1942, [[Straits Settlements|Singapore]], due to the overwhelming superiority of Japanese forces and encirclement tactics, [[Battle of Singapore|fell to the Japanese]], causing the largest [[Surrender (military)|surrender]] of British-led military personnel in history. An estimated 80,000 Australian, British and Indian troops were taken as [[prisoners of war]], joining 50,000 taken in the Japanese invasion of Malaya (modern day [[Malaysia]]). The Japanese then seized the key oil production zones of [[Borneo]], [[Central Java]], [[Malang]], [[Cebu]], [[Sumatra]], and [[Dutch New Guinea]] of the late [[Dutch East Indies campaign|Dutch East Indies]], defeating the [[Dutch forces]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Klemen L. |title=Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942 |url=https://warfare.gq/dutcheastindies/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726053035/http://www.dutcheastindies.webs.com/index.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref> However, Allied sabotage had made it difficult for the Japanese to restore oil production to its pre-war peak.<ref name="combinedfleet.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/guadoil1.htm |title=Oil and Japanese Strategy in the Solomons: A Postulate |website=www.combinedfleet.com}}</ref> The Japanese then consolidated their lines of supply through capturing key islands of the [[Pacific]], including [[Guadalcanal]].