Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 26:54-28:39

Japan's finances without the Washington treaty

Continuing the naval race could strain Japan by the late 1920s, but political fallout might halt American funding first in some scenarios.

Great DepressionJapanese NavyNaval Arms RaceUS NavyWashington Naval Treaty
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Question

Without the Washington Naval Treaty, who would stop building first: Japan or the United States?

Short answer

Japan faced severe financial limits, but an American political scandal could stop US funding first; the outcome depends on why negotiations failed.

Notes

Japan might face bankruptcy around the late 1920s or early 1930s, with the Wall Street Crash worsening the strain, although continued naval construction could alter its civil-military balance. If treaty failure followed an American eavesdropping scandal, US isolationism might stop American appropriations before Japanese finances forced a halt. A failure blamed on Japanese aggression would produce a different political path.