Why did the Japanese government act to create an empire on the Asian mainland during the 1930's?

During the 1930s, the Japanese government sought to create an empire on the Asian mainland primarily to secure resources, expand its territorial influence, and assert itself as a major world power. The economic pressures from the Great Depression and Japan's need for raw materials, such as oil and rubber, drove its imperial ambitions, particularly in Manchuria and China. Additionally, nationalist sentiments and the desire to counter Western colonial powers fueled military aggression and expansionist policies, leading to conflicts like the Second Sino-Japanese War.