With the end of World War 2, the world didn't drop into a peaetime stance as the superpowers of the world continued to play games with eachother, this time using peon nations as pawns in their global struggle to consolidate power into their corner.
These nations utilized the Far East, for the most part, in their little chess game. Vietnam and Korea were decimated with wars that lasted years, causing millions of dollars worth of destruction and tens of thousands of lives lost on both sides.
During this timeframe, the Empire continued its Military Isolationism, slowly building it's forces, once again, as just a defensive organiation for the imperial Mainland.