Editing Second World War (section)

== War in the Pacific ==
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The attack targeted the United States Pacific Fleet and formed part of a wider Japanese offensive across the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The United States declared war on Japan on 8 December 1941. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941.<ref name="war-dept-events" />

Japan captured Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies during the first months of the Pacific War. Japanese forces also advanced into Burma and threatened Allied supply lines to China.

The Battle of Midway was fought from 3 to 6 June 1942. The United States destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and halted Japan's ability to continue large-scale offensive carrier operations in the central Pacific.<ref name="britannica-ww2" />

The Guadalcanal campaign began in August 1942 and became a prolonged struggle for control of the Solomon Islands route. From 1943 onward, Allied forces advanced across the Pacific through naval, air, and amphibious operations while bypassing some Japanese-held positions.

In China, Japanese forces continued major operations, but Chinese resistance remained active. The war there caused extensive civilian losses through occupation policy, bombing, famine, reprisals, and forced labour.