ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tanaka Memorial

The Tanaka Memorial is a document that is said to have been written by a Japanese military leader named Tanaka Giichi in the early 20th century. The purpose of this document was to outline a plan for Japan to expand its influence throughout East Asia and eventually become the dominant power in the region.

Think of it like a big game of hide and seek with many countries playing. Japan wanted to be the one who was "it" and in charge of everyone else.

The Tanaka Memorial outlines a number of strategies that Japan could use to achieve this goal, including:

- Building up their military strength and using it to intimidate other countries in the region
- Encouraging economic growth and development in Japan to make them a more attractive partner to other countries
- Promoting Japanese culture and language throughout East Asia to create greater ties and loyalty with other countries
- Fostering conflicts between other countries in the region to weaken them and make them easier to control

Basically, Japan wanted to become the big kid on the playground by being really strong and getting other kids to be their friends.

It's important to note that there is some debate among historians about whether or not the Tanaka Memorial is actually a legitimate document, or if it was perhaps a forgery created by someone else. However, many people believe that it accurately reflects the views of many military leaders in Japan at the time, and that it had a significant impact on their foreign policy decisions in the years leading up to World War II.

In the end, Japan did become a large player in East Asia - but their efforts to dominate the region ultimately failed, leading to their defeat in the war and the occupation of the country by Allied forces.