Why did Japan invade China instead of fight Britain in Europe to help Germany, France, Italy in 1940

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Japan's fleet was quite powerful at the time. 6 big aircraft carriers. Zero fighter was at the time the best fighter plane in the world. I class subs were the biggest and most capable in the world. France, Germany, Italy under Petain, Hitler, Mussolini were allied with Japan under Tojo. France's Normandy was base of Axis air power against Britain. France's traditional naval port Toulon could have been used by Japan navy. In addition, Japan could have transferred large numbers of Ki-43 fighter planes to Normandy to boost Axis air power there.

 

[Jackdaws]

Japan wanted to create what it called - "Asian Economic Co Prosperity Sphere". It wasn't interested in capturing Europe. It saw itself as the leader of all Asia. It did capture Singapore from the Brits as well as Burma.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Japan wanted to create what it called - "Asian Economic Co Prosperity Sphere". It wasn't interested in capturing Europe. It saw itself as the leader of all Asia. It did capture Singapore from the Brits as well as Burma.

True. But if Germany fell then Japan have no chance. So if Japan was smart Japan help Germany FIRST then do their Asian sphere.

 

[bananarepublic]

Japan needed recourses to expand and even to help germeny they needed enough manpower and supplies to support such a campaign. Which after going to battle with us a can be easily seen as in the battle of midway the japs lost huge numbers of ship and couldn't replace as compared to US which could replace each loss with 3-4 new ships.
Furthermore japan was never a land army and it's true power was it's navy which they did use to pressure the allies,

Fun fact the japs legendary zero fighter plane became obsolete in the middle of the war while the US continued to improve their air power

True. But if Germany fell then Japan have no chance. So if Japan was smart Japan help Germany FIRST then do their Asian sphere.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Japan needed recourses to expand and even to help germeny they needed enough manpower and supplies to support such a campaign. Which after going to battle with us a can be easily seen as in the battle of midway the japs lost huge numbers of ship and couldn't replace as compared to US which could replace each loss with 3-4 new ships.
Furthermore japan was never a land army and it's true power was it's navy which they did use to pressure the allies,

Fun fact the japs legendary zero fighter plane became obsolete in the middle of the war while the US continued to improve their air power

Nope. It's because their stupid decisions cost them the war.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

What are you talking about? Japan invaded China (July 1937) before Germany did anything (Sept 1939).

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

What are you talking about? Japan invaded China (July 1937) before Germany did anything (Sept 1939).

True, but once Germany started engaging in Europe Japan should have withdrawn from China and help Germany. You know what's the weakness of fascist? Their big fat egos. That's why they lost.

 

[Dante80]

True, but once Germany started engaging in Europe Japan should have withdrawn from China and help Germany. You know what's the weakness of fascist? Their big fat egos. That's why they lost.

Why would Japan forsake its immediate expansion interests in its own backyard (it was already at war in the region for years), declare war on the UK thus bringing the US to the war a year earlier, and send its fleet over to Europe leaving the Empire unprotected against the colonial GB assets? What you are writing about didn't make sense for them back then (it was not even discussed as a theorem/possibility), and it certainly doesn't make any sense now, historic hindsight or not.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Why would Japan forsake its immediate expansion interests in its own backyard (it was already at war in the region for years), declare war on the UK thus bringing the US to the war a year earlier, and send its fleet over to Europe leaving the Empire unprotected against the colonial GB assets? What you are writing about didn't make sense for them back then (it was not even discussed as a theorem/possibility), and it certainly doesn't make any sense now, historic hindsight or not.

Maye Germany should have skipped Poland and hit China instead. That's a huge slave labor force for V1's and V2's.

 

[aziqbal]

Japan invaded China because they needed resources

they never went deep into China but rather took over the coast to get resources out

and they had to declare war on UK because they took Singapore, they had to take Singapore otherwise they could not dominate Asia

the plan was for Germans and Japanese to meet in the Middle East

German army south in Russia was to come down Caucasus and Japanese via India/Pakistan and Iran to meet in the middle

well we all know what happened

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

the plan was for Germans and Japanese to meet in the Middle East

German army south in Russia was to come down Caucasus and Japanese via India/Pakistan and Iran to meet in the middle

well we all know what happened

unrealistic goals

 

[Jackdaws]

True. But if Germany fell then Japan have no chance. So if Japan was smart Japan help Germany FIRST then do their Asian sphere.

There was quite a bit of difference in their lines of thought. Japan for example did not discriminate against Jews. Japan also had no intention of playing second fiddle to Germany in Europe - that was Italy's role. For the Germans, recognizing the Japanese as "Aryan" was a matter of convenience because of the large British and French holdings in Asia.

Japan invaded China because they needed resources

they never went deep into China but rather took over the coast to get resources out

and they had to declare war on UK because they took Singapore, they had to take Singapore otherwise they could not dominate Asia

the plan was for Germans and Japanese to meet in the Middle East

German army south in Russia was to come down Caucasus and Japanese via India/Pakistan and Iran to meet in the middle

well we all know what happened

Actually, the plan was to meet in India in the middle.
The Indische Legion would invade British India from Iran and the INA would simultaneously invade from Burma.

 

[Nein]

True, but once Germany started engaging in Europe Japan should have withdrawn from China and help Germany. You know what's the weakness of fascist? Their big fat egos. That's why they lost.

Germany was helping China lol

 

[zectech]

If Japan was not willing to help in the war on the Soviets, then no way they would help in Europe.

But Hitler was simply a jewish Wiemar Republic agent who Mussolini hated and called a clown. So I doubt the control group, the Nazis, were smart enough to actually try global domination. They served the zionist goal to destroy the free fascists states and the jews got their holohoax and Palestine because of the holohoax.

You can think of different scenarios of what would have worked for the Nazis to win, but you forget that Wiemar Republic agent and jewish Hitler did not want to win.