Timeline of War in the Pacific

1923 - Great Britain ends alliance with Japan
1931 - September: Japan invades Manchuria
                "Asia for the Asians"
                installs "puppet regime" called Manchuko
1932 - Prime Minister, Inukai Tsuyoshi killed during failed coup
               => military holding more power
1936 - Japan allies with Germany
1937 - September: Japan invades China
                Second Sino-Japanese War            
                capture Shanghai, Beijing, and Najing
                           "Rape of Nanjing"
1940 - July: Japan begins occupying French Indochina
1941 - November: Japan sends diplomats to Washington to avoid war
            December: Japan bombs U.S. territory
                Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
1942 -  April: Japan wins battle against U.S.
                The Philippines
                Begins occupying Philippines, Dutch East Indies, Malaya
            June: The Battle of Midway
                First Ally Pacific Victory
            September: The Manhattan Project begins in full force
                United State's A-bombs
1944 -  Bombings begin on Japanese cities by U.S.
            October: Allies defeat Japan
                Battle of Leyte
1945 - March: Allies capture Iwo Jima
            June: Allies capture Okinawa
            August: U.S. drops Atomic Bombs on Japan
                Hiroshima and Nagasaki
                => disbandment of all military and naval forces
            September: Japan signs official surrender




Sources:
"Japan Profile - Timeline." BBC News. BBC, 01 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Feb. 2017. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15219730>.

"World War II Timeline - Remembering Pearl Harbor." National Geographic. National Geographic, 2001. Web. 07 Feb. 2017. <http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pearlharbor/history/wwii_timeline.html>.