How did Japan occupy China during WWII?

[Scepcop]

How did Japan occupy China during WWII, when the US can't even occupy Vietnam?

I don't get something. How did Japan occupy such a large country like China during WWII? No one has enough troops to occupy a country that large.

Also, wouldn't Japan have easily lost in a ground war with China, since they would have been outnumbered thousands to one?

If Japan was able to occupy China that easily, then why couldn't the US occupy Vietnam during the Vietnam War?

I guess in Vietnam, the leader of the Vietcong kept moving around in secret, so there was no "king" to capture like in chess to force a surrender.

If so, then why didn't China play the same game and have their leader hide underground or move around in secret, so that Japan could never win?

[Arouet]

First link I found on this: http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/camp/p ... c-inv.html

I'm sure there are a ton of sources on this topic though.

[SydneyPSIder]

via brutality, basically. The US cannot be seen to be using the same methods when 'helping' countries back into the fold of democracy, i.e. attempting to create client states with compliant and carefully selected rulers who deliver whatever the West is looking for and may or may not hold fair and free elections.

[Grichard]

China had been in a state of civil war since the early 1930s, between the Nationalists and Communists. The Japanese took advantage of the chaos in China to launch an invasion in the late 30s. The Chinese were far too busy fighting each other to put up any successful resistance to the Japanese. Also, Japan was the most industrially advanced country in Asia at that time, whereas China was very backward and isolated.

In Vietnam, the Americans came up against a very unified, determined and resourceful foe who were receiving lots of outside help from the Chinese etc. And who were fighting on their home territory against an enemy who were fighting thousands of miles from home.