Both Germany and Japan experienced a rapid rise in power and influence during the early years of World War II, with Germany quickly conquering much of Europe and Japan expanding its empire in the Pacific. However, as the war progressed, both countries faced significant military setbacks and eventual defeat. Germany's downfall came with the Allied invasion of Normandy and the Soviet advance from the east, while Japan's defeat was sealed with the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After the war, both countries underwent significant political and social changes, with Germany divided and occupied by the Allies, and Japan under American occupation and forced to renounce its militaristic ambitions.
