The scenario predates the September 1940 Tripartite Pact, leaving Germany and Italy as independent actors rather than formal partners of Japan. Zengo Yoshida later opposed the pact strongly enough that the dispute helped force him from the navy ministry. His opposition shows how contested closer alignment with the European Axis remained inside Japanese leadership. A 1939 Anglo-Japanese war would begin with a diplomatic structure very different from the familiar wartime coalition.
Notable Point · 1:08:40-1:09:47
No Tripartite Pact means a different diplomatic war
Because the Tripartite Pact did not yet exist, Germany and Italy would not automatically be tied to Japan's 1939 conflict.