[Recon1424]

Bit of a history nerd so a bit of reading im afraid.

From what I understand (could be wrong) the UK and Japan were close allies in WW1. With British support Japan became a world class power with a strong (British built) navy and modern technology, politics etc it effectively westernized itself to protect against European and American powers that would exploit it. In return Japan allied with the UK in WW1 to act as a sort of policeman in Asia against the Germans.

So why didn't this alliance continue into WW2?

the hostilities came from Japanese aggression in Asia right? but if anything Japan was just emulating Britain and British success by seizing land and resources. And its not as if they didn't earn it; Japan was pretty much the only nation (besides colonial India) to modernize and therefore had little problem against any other Asian nations and even made a fool of Imperial Russia (Russo-Japanese war 1904).

So why then did the UK not ally with Japan and vice versa in WW2?. If they had then there would have been more resources and equipment available to fight Nazi Germany, there would have been 1 less front to fight on, communist china wouldn't have been a problem (cold war) and the USA probably wouldn't have entered WW2 or had any need to and Germany would have been minus one powerful ally.

So why?

[Grumpig]

Well, Britain did criticise Japan after they invaded Manchuria and tried to sanction them with the League of Nations which the Japanese obviously didn't take too kindly too. Plus, I assume that the British thought that the Japanese had desires on some of their colonies in Asia.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by Grumpig)
Well, Britain did criticise Japan after they invaded Manchuria and tried to sanction them with the League of Nations which the Japanese obviously didn't take too kindly too. Plus, I assume that the British thought that the Japanese had desires on some of their colonies in Asia.

Right but why did the UK care so much about Manchuria? also that was somewhat self defeating as Japan just allied with Germany and took all European colonies in Asia. If they were allies perhaps Japan would have just bypassed the British ones and taken the Dutch/American etc ones instead. Also trade with the UK would have given them access to the resources they so desperately needed?.

[SonOfASubmariner]

To be fair, you can also make the same argument about Italy. They ruined any chance of an alliance with them over Ethiopia.

[Snagprophet]

I don't know what the hell Japan were thinking at the time.

[A.sniper]

(Original post by Snagprophet)
I don't know what the hell Japan were thinking at the time.

dowphin anda wharru

[nexttime]

Japan was bogged down in fighting china and invading other local territories - what good would labelling them as an 'ally' have done?

Also, when did Japan make a fool out of the USSR?

[joesheva]

I can vividly remember something about Japan invading china in the late 1930's and slaughtering something like 6mil Chinese people so i guess in theory that UK didn't want to be associated with such people...i think

[anarchism101]

Because Japan was already friendly with Hitler. After Germany invaded Holland and France in 1940, they gave Japan some of the French and Dutch colonies, which kind of forced Britain to fight Japan.

[Clessus]

Japan declared war on Britain at the same time as it attacked America in Pearl Harbour.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by nexttime)
Japan was bogged down in fighting china and invading other local territories - what good would labelling them as an 'ally' have done?

Also, when did Japan make a fool out of the USSR?

My bad, Japan made a fool of Imperial Russia. I will edit OP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War

[Podcaster]

It's a good point but as others have said it probably had something to do with their aggressive expansionist and racist policies in the pacific. The British and Dutch empires owned everything in the Far East so the Japanese had a choice of Ally with them and take Manchuria and nothing else or sneak attack their colonies while they were busy fighting the Nazis and take everything.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by joesheva)
I can vividly remember something about Japan invading china in the late 1930's and slaughtering something like 6mil Chinese people so i guess in theory that UK didn't want to be associated with such people...i think

This was at the height of imperialism and I doubt anyone knew about it anyway; its not like they could record it all on video and display it on the 6'o clock news.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by SonOfASubmariner)
To be fair, you can also make the same argument about Italy. They ruined any chance of an alliance with them over Ethiopia.

Well Mussolini was fascist so I dont think he would have ever considered joining the allies. could be wrong though.

[Super Cicero]

As well as reasons people have already stated, one reason was that, prior to Pearl Harbor, the USA's interests in East Asia were the complete opposite of Japan's. Not only was the Phillipines, a US colony at this point, strongly threatened by Japanese power, but the US feared that Japanese dominance of East Asia would lead to the US being unable to trade with China, and Japan becoming the strongest power in the Pacific. The UK desperately needed US help in the war against Germany, and if the UK became best friends with America's worst enemy, it might make the Americans less likely to help us in the war in Europe (people prior to Pearl Harbor didn't know that Hitler would be stupid enough to declare war on the USA himself).

This desire for a pro-US foreign policy rather than a pro-Japanese one was the main reason why the Anglo-Japanese alliance was terminated in 1923. After this the Japanese did not trust the British.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by Super Cicero)
As well as reasons people have already stated, one reason was that, prior to Pearl Harbor, the USA's interests in East Asia were the complete opposite of Japan's. Not only was the Phillipines, a US colony at this point, strongly threatened by Japanese power, but the US feared that Japanese dominance of East Asia would lead to the US being unable to trade with China, and Japan becoming the strongest power in the Pacific. The UK desperately needed US help in the war against Germany, and if the UK became best friends with America's worst enemy, it might make the Americans less likely to help us in the war in Europe (people prior to Pearl Harbor didn't know that Hitler would be stupid enough to declare war on the USA himself).

This desire for a pro-US foreign policy rather than a pro-Japanese one was the main reason why the Anglo-Japanese alliance was terminated in 1923. After this the Japanese did not trust the British.

thats it, thats the answer! The UK needed the US for lend lease so that makes sense thanks.

In terms of it that was the right choice of allies you could make a strong argument that allying with Japan would have been equally as strategically beneficial.

[Recon1424]

(Original post by anarchism101)
Because Japan was already friendly with Hitler. After Germany invaded Holland and France in 1940, they gave Japan some of the French and Dutch colonies, which kind of forced Britain to fight Japan.

Is that true? Ive never heard that. do you have an internet source so I can have a look?

[SonOfASubmariner]

(Original post by Recon1424)
Well Mussolini was fascist so I dont think he would have ever considered joining the allies. could be wrong though.

I believe he was teetering on the edge of allying with Germany before the British and French condemned the Ethiopian invasion, but he did sign the Stresa Front with the two in 1935 which (iirc) was some sort of vague agreement united against Germany.

[Historophilia]

Err because the Japanese attacked British held territory... Singapore? Burma?

Also the Japanese had been allied with the Nazi's since about 1936.