Why couldn't the Mongols conquer Japan? (Short Animated Documentary)

TL;DR

Two typhoons destroyed the Mongol fleets, but Japanese coastal fortifications, fierce samurai resistance, and supply limitations would have stopped them anyway.

Key Points

• 1.First invasion (1274): A Yuan-Korean force landed in Japan, initially overwhelming samurai unfamiliar with mass gunpowder volleys, but withdrew when leaders realized they lacked resources to advance — then lost a third of their fleet to a storm sailing home.
• 2.Japan's response: Regent Hojo Tokimune beheaded Kublai's envoys, ordered coastal walls built, raised militias, and briefly considered invading Korea to eliminate the Mongol staging ground before dropping the plan.
• 3.Second invasion (1281): A massive force of 135,000–150,000 men (from both Korea and China) returned, but Japanese fortifications and relentless samurai raiding prevented any real inland advance.
• 4.The Kamikaze: A typhoon — literally meaning "Divine Wind" — destroyed the majority of the Yuan fleet, stranded the army, and allowed Japanese forces to annihilate the remnants on the beaches.
• 5.No third attempt: Advisors convinced Kublai to cancel a planned third invasion due to rebellions across China; later Ming emperors, remembering these failures, chose trade over conquest and never seriously threatened Japan again.