The agreement is judged strategically harmful to Japan, particularly because France and Italy did not accept all of its limits. The discussion contrasts the relatively democratic and Western-oriented Japan of roughly 1900-1930 with the militarised, ultranationalist state of less than a decade later. Treaty resentment is offered as one possible contributor among several: civilian politicians accepted visible constraints that opponents could attack. Japan's economy and shipbuilding capacity probably could not have sustained every programme naval advocates wanted. Material capacity and the political symbolism of an externally negotiated restriction therefore need to be considered separately.
Notable Point · 26:12-27:35
Treaty resentment and Japan's political radicalisation
The closing discussion asks whether treaty constraints weakened Japan's civilian politicians and gave nationalist opposition a rallying point.