Japan's movement into China placed pressure near French Indochina rather than against an isolated concession. The emperor, Diet, cabinet, army, and navy operated through a constitutional system in which military institutions possessed unusual leverage and political violence further weakened control. France therefore had to plan around a power whose internal decision making was difficult to predict. The danger reinforced the need for cruisers that could deploy quickly and contribute to a wider allied response in East Asia.
Chapter · 47:07-50:01
Japan exposed France's Asian imperial flank
French Indochina's long border with China made Japanese expansion and Japan's unstable civil-military politics a direct imperial-defense concern.