In the event from Japan was clear case of aggression the league did not want to fight, plus many people felt that Japan opened Manchuria and were entitled to take control over it. The Chinese had even agreed in treaties that Japan had economic rights in the region.
China and Japan were far from league headquaterers in Geneva, Switzerland. Britain and France felt that the incident was simply too far away to be a real concern. Also Japan was a powerful member of the league and the Japanese claimed that the Chinese had attacked them first.
This lead to a big argument within the league and the big three didn’t want to start a war with Japan as they were powerful so they brushed this aside. The Chinese felt it was unfair even after all the evidence provide that Manchuria was theirs. The Chinese could not fight Japan alone so they got to keep Manchuria.
This was another step in the grave for the league a nations as they failed to resolve yet another issue between countries.
