Which of the following best characterizes japan in the early 1940s?
it was a natural enemy of hitler’s germany.
it was a small, isolated power.
it controlled a large empire.
it had a military government.

The option that best characterizes Japan in the early 1940s would be that "It had a military government," since this was one of the reasons it was able to conquer so much territory in so little time.

The correct answer here is the third option.

Japan in the 1940s controlled a large empire and stretched far beyond its shores. In the Sino-Japanese War they took control of Manchuria, in Russo-Japanese war they managed to obtain the Liaodong Peninsula and they also managed to annex Korea. The Japanese expansion was lead primarily due to a need of land and natural resources as well as the wish to assert itself as one of the world powers.