Japan's surprise at the European Axis declarations is an interpretation developed from reading about Japanese policy. The proposed explanation is that Japanese leaders did not expect Germany and Italy to follow through. Relatively junior diplomatic representation in Europe is offered as a possible indication of those expectations. The Soviet-Japanese non-aggression agreement of April 1941 also matters: Japan maintained a relationship with a country Germany would shortly attack. The earlier end of Soviet-Japanese border fighting is linked to Stalin's freedom to act in Poland in 1939.
Chapter · 1:05:42-1:07:36
The interpretation that Japan did not expect the Axis declarations
Japanese expectations and agreements with the Soviet Union complicate the picture of a unified Axis alliance.