Matsuoka expected Operation Barbarossa to produce a quick German victory despite Japan's own experience of defeat by Soviet forces. Before the German invasion, he had advocated an immediate attack on Singapore. After it began, he opposed that attack because he believed it would bring the Western Allies into the war. Admiral Teijiro Toyoda replaced him as foreign minister in July 1941.
Notable Point · 48:28-49:22
Barbarossa and Matsuoka's reversal over Singapore
Matsuoka's expectation of a quick German victory accompanied a reversal from advocating an attack on Singapore to opposing it.