Would the West have overlooked a Japanese war against communist China?

Would Japan's actions in China have been more readily overlooked in a Cold War setting?

Probably; anti-communism could have drawn Axis volunteers to Japan and made British and American aid to China much less likely.

Against a communist-dominated China, Japan would probably have attracted more foreign support. Italy and Germany might have sent volunteer formations to help an anti-communist campaign. Britain and the United States would probably have been less willing to supply Japan's opponent. Their reluctance to aid Republican Spain, which received communist support without being an entirely communist government, provides the comparison. Although prompted by a Cold War question, the counterfactual concerns the earlier war in China with a different Chinese government.