Why a limited China settlement was difficult to recognize

Could U.S. and Japanese leaders have avoided war through a limited settlement over China?

Possibly, but incompatible perceptions of status, empire, and intent made even a limited settlement difficult for either side to recognize or trust.

The discussion begins with whether the United States might have accepted an end to further Japanese aggression in China without demanding full withdrawal. Hindsight cannot erase what each side thought the other intended. Japanese and American leaders were largely addressing incompatible visions of one another rather than communicating through a shared understanding. A settlement therefore depended on both the available concessions and whether either government believed those concessions meant what the other side intended.