What were the aims of Japanese empire in the 1930s

In the 30s, the Japanese Empire was, in fact, in need of resources. Although throughout world war 2 we see that they have eyes on territory the most, their primary goal was actually to gain resources, as their islands have no natural resources, which narrows their options during development. China was on of their neighbors that they attacked, firstly at Manchuria, because it was a large area of the country that generated resources that were vital to the Japanese. They also attacked Korea and later the United States, as the U. S had placed a trade embargo on Japan.