As we all know, the Soviet-German war broke out two months later. For a time, there was a debate about "going north" and "going south" in Japan. As a result, when millions of German troops invaded the Soviet Union from three directions, Japan, as an ally, not only did not send troops to the Far East, but strengthened its strategy of "going south". Is there something hidden in this?
"Pro-Germans" were suppressed in Japan.
Youko Matsuoka, the great hero who signed the Soviet-Japanese neutrality treaty, initially supported Japan's strategy of "going south", but after learning that Germany invaded the Soviet Union, his attitude changed greatly, and he strongly advocated that the Japanese army would fight "going north" and directly win the hinterland of the Soviet Union. To this end, he even skipped the cabinet and went directly to Emperor Hirohito for advice. Why?
Originally, as a staunch supporter of Germany, Italy, Japan and triple alliance, Matsuoka Ocean, as a foreign minister, also appreciated Germany's achievements and hoped to win over the Soviet Union through the Soviet-German non-aggression treaty, which could not only build an "Eurasian Union" to force the United States to yield, but also slow down the threat from the Soviet Union and smoothly implement the strategy of "going south".
However, his idea was not supported by the Germans. But asked Japan to attack Singapore and British colonies as soon as possible, which was the main reason why Matsuoka supported "going south". At present, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union. In his view, Japan's participation in the war will only speed up the war process, which not only solves the worries of "going south", but also avoids the German forces' involvement in the Far East.
Perhaps it is his overbearing attitude, or perhaps it is his total denial of the "southward faction." Matsuoka's claim was immediately opposed by most people. Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, in particular, is extremely disgusted with him. Regardless of his changing the overall strategy without authorization, he simply crossed the cabinet and reported to the emperor, ignoring the prime minister.
What's more, Matsuoka, who is good at grandstanding, has offended other cabinet members. These people are staunch "southbound" and are disgusted with his "going north" to please the Germans. In other words, Matsuoka made public anger at this time. In this way, three months before the Pacific War broke out, Matsuoka, who had been a foreign minister for one year, resigned.
However, due to his tough foreign policy towards the United States, Japan is deeply involved in the crisis with the United States. From a certain point of view, Matsuoka has an unshirkable responsibility for the damage caused to Japan, and is called by historians as one of the chief culprits who dragged Japan into the war. Although the "pro-German faction" has been eliminated, the improvement of Japan-US relations is irreversible.
Japan does not "go north" and is angry.
On June 22nd, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. In just half a month, its vanguard has advanced to 600 kilometers in the hinterland of the Soviet Union. However, as an ally of Germany, Japan is "indifferent" in the western front and seems to "faithfully" abide by the "neutral treaty" signed by the two countries not long ago. However, this is far from the truth. The Japanese have many unspeakable sufferings.
First of all, I remember the Battle of Nomenham a year ago. Although it was a tentative attack by Japan "going north", the Japanese army not only didn't take the slightest advantage, but was also beaten by the Soviet army under the command of zhukov, which suffered heavy losses. Especially the lack of tanks, artillery and other heavy equipment, the Japanese army did not have much courage to attack the Soviet Union from the western front.
Secondly, after the Battle of Nomenham, the Soviet Union attached great importance to the Far East border. It has not only invested millions of troops and strategic reserves, but also prepared for long-term confrontation, and its border defense has not been relaxed at all. Most of the Japanese troops were confined to the battlefield in China, so it was impossible for Japan to give up the war of aggression against China to help Germany attack the Soviet Union.
More importantly, because the Soviet Union and Germany secretly signed a non-aggression treaty, the Japanese army was forced to end in the Battle of Nomenham. Now, invading the Soviet Union without saying hello to Japan is not only a distrust and disrespect for allies, but also a failure to take people seriously and even look down on them, which makes the Japanese very angry.
At the same time, in their view, once they help defeat the Soviet Union, the powerful Germany will look down on Japan and become a vassal state like Italy, which is impossible for the "excited" Japanese to do anyway. Therefore, Germany proposed to send troops to the western front, but the Japanese military and political circles were not interested and looked disapproving.
However, just like the Soviet Union in the Polish campaign and Italy in the French campaign, Japan is also eyeing the Soviet Union. While actively preparing to go south, it is planned to deploy the 17 Division to reinforce the Kwantung Army from the local and China battlefields. By September, the total strength of the Kwantung Army had reached 700,000, double the previous figure.
In order not to arouse Soviet hostility, Japan called this troop mobilization "a special exercise of the Kwantung Army". However, behind its "light preparation and no hands-on", it not only shows that Japan is waiting for an opportunity when the Soviet Union is in jeopardy and the outcome is clear, but also implies its "revenge" for repeatedly not saying hello to the Germans. Of course, anger is more important.
References: World War II, Pacific Ocean.
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