Japan was an ally of Great Britain and had been from 1902. It represented the first peacetime alliance for Great Britain in more than a century and ended their Splendid Isolation.I don't know much about Japanese foreign policy at this time so forgive me if it is absurd.
Maybe neutrality . . . I could swear they actually made an offer to Germany.
"We won't declare war on you if you let us have your Asian and Pacific colonies."
Germany flat out ignored the ultimatum, so Japan declared war.
This is not an offer of neutrality in return for German territory; it is an ultimatum as prelude to a declaration of war, necessary under International Law. It is akin to Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia, the German ultimatum to the Tsar to demobilise and the British ultimatum to Germany to withdraw from Belgium.Maybe neutrality . . . I could swear they actually made an offer to Germany...Germany flat out ignored the ultimatum, so Japan declared war.