Soviet- Japanese Foreign Relations 1938-1941

Between 1938 and 1941, the Japanese diplomatic strategy to the Soviet union changed from “marching north positively”,“marching north negatively” to “marching south positively and north opportunisticly”. According to the Eurasian war situation and the urgency of war threats that the Soviet Union faced from east and west fronts,the Soviet policy to Japan made adjustment continuously. Thus, between 1938 and1941,the relations between the Soviet union and Japan went through three phases of conflict、adjustment、ease and the signing of Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact. The Japan and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact in November 1936, Japan launched the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and aggressed against China comprehensively in July 1937. The Japanese army plotted “marching north positively”, The Soviet union and Japan broke out the Changkufeng Incident in July1938, the two countries broke out again the Nomonhan conflict in May 1939, the relations between the Soviet union and Japan deteriorated badly. The Soviet union signed the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact with Germany in August 1939 in order to avoid falling into a two-front war. Japanese took big hits in the two previous conflicts between the Soviet union and Japan, the relations between two countries entered into a period of adjustment. Under the control of Japanese Navy, the Japanese Cabinet of Fumimaro Konoe passed the disposed Framework to adapt to the world situation, was determined to shift the foreign invasion expansion from “northing” to“southing”, in addition the Soviet-German war upcoming prompted to move further toward compromise, The Soviet Union and Japan concluded finally Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact.The evolution of the Soviet-Japanese relationships affected by Eurasian pattern of war and relations among great powers before the Soviet-German war between 1938 and 1941. In addition,the threat of war from German impelled the Soviet to compromise to Japan.The establishment of the axis of German and Japanese and the early triumph in the German invasion expansion in Europe is a factor which the Japan start a war test in the direction of Asia. Accordingly, the improvement of the Soviet-German relations is the reason for Japan to ease the policies towards the Soviet Union. However, both the Soviet Union and Japan foreign strategies established on the basis of maximizing their self-interest. Due to heavy losses in thetwo conflicts,the Japan didn’t unite with German to strike the Soviet,but took the strategy of “south positively and north opportunisticly” after the outbreak of the soviet-german war. The most important reason for that is the European war which the German swept through Western Europe, the France died out and The Britain was in crisis. The setback suffered by the Britain and France changed their power contrast in the Far East which is the fundamental element for Japan actively to promote the southing stratagem. At the same time, the Chinese heroic hard fight and the Soviet powerful military deployment on the eastern front is also causes for Japan to give up marching north but south vehemently. Moreover, the internal competition in the Japanese fascist policy-maker from the Japanese army and navy and the threat awareness from the Soviet union top decision-makers was also factor to compromise between the Soviet union and Japan.The Soviet Union as a important anti-fascist ally and the Japan as fascist axis signed neutrality treaty at the beginning of the second world war, and it was the embodiment of maximizing their respective national interests from the point of its own national security. On the other hand, the Soviet Union avoided being plunged into danger of two-line battle, coped with German war threats,and finally established advantageous strategic pattern of defeating the fascist. On the other side, the Japan was able to fully march into the south, expand the aggression against the China,occupated the southeast Asia, even launched the attack on Pearl Harbor, and opened the prologue of the Pacific war. The improvement of Japanese-Soviet relations from1938 to 1941 changed the Eurasian pattern of war, and had not formed war situation which the German and Japan combined together against the Soviet Union. Howeve,the Soviet union and Japan erupted clashes on Chinese territory, divided into spheres of influence in northeast China and Mongolia which seriously violated Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity. The aid discontinuation of the Soviet union sharpened the difficulty of the Chinese resistance against aggression. The evolution of the relationships between the Soviet union and Japan from 1938 to 1941 revealed the complicated competitive relationship between countries under the war environment when the nation seeked their own national security.