Which of the following was a primary motivation for japan to seek new territories throughout asia? a. japan wanted to draw the united states’ attention away from the europe and into the pacific. b. japan had few natural resources and therefore needed a different source for critical supplies such as scrap metal and oil. c. japan wanted to establish military bases in china so it could eventually extend its power into the soviet union. d. japan sought a strategic alliance with the chinese government so the two powers could rule the pacific without western interference.

The correct answer is "B". 

At the end of the 19th century, the Japanese Empire had adopted an aggressive industrialization policy which caused the countries economy to rapidly grow and the society to develop. However, the Japanese knew that they would not be able to sustain this growth through the 20th century due to their lack of natural resources such as oil. This resource was present in South-Eastern Asian Countries, therefore they decided to execute their strategy of gaining control of these territories to get the necessary resources to sustain their growth. 

(b) britain had a much larger navy than the u.s.

(d) the u.s. had a small army compared to britain.