Japanese dissatisfaction with the treaty is connected to the political crisis around the May 15 Incident, though the proposed causal link still requires evidence. One possible economic logic was that treaty limits and the authority of an international agreement could help civilian leaders contain naval expenditure. That strategy depended on domestic acceptance and proved a gamble that did not hold. Naval limitation was part of the larger contest between fiscal restraint, party government, and militarised politics.
Notable Point · 13:43-15:42
Japan's treaty politics and controlled naval spending
The treaty may have offered Japanese civilian leaders a way to restrain defence spending, though domestic opposition made that a dangerous gamble.