Question: The Kaiser's extradition

As I'm sure most of you know, after WWI the Kaiser of Germany took refuge in the Netherlands, and the small antion refused to extradite him.

My question is, could this turn into an international crisis? For instance, I was toying with a way to get the East Indies in Japan's hands before the Sino-Japanese War; since Japan felt like they got screwed over in the peace treaties, is there a way that they might "take the initiative" on this one, and use the Dutch refusal to surrender the abdicated Kaiser as a reason to occupy Indonesia?

If so, how would the rest of the world react? Or would this whole thing just blow over like it seemed to OTL?
 
I'm no authority, but my sense is that world changed so drastically in those four years of war that royal families just didn't matter anymore in people's minds. Those years saw the murder of a Tsar and his family and the abdication of all the German speaking crowned heads (except Liechtenstein). Wilhelm II really didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Not really worth an international incident.
 

Japhy

Banned
I'm not sure how sound the idea of the Japanese moving into the DEI in the 1919 period is, Japan very much eyeing China, and was in a "Go North" Phase with the Japanese intervention in Siberia. If Japan does try anything I don't think it could be as dramatic as the 1941/1942 invasion, and if they do try it, it is bound to cause nothing so much as the immediate death of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, no one in Europe wanted Japan running amuck seizing colonies.

The idea of the Kaiser being extradited though is an interesting topic. The Western Allies wanted him Tried, which might cause the Lipzig Warcrimes Trials to actually be cared about, leading to harsh sentences for the Kaiser, and the others put up in the dock with him, or the German run trial could end akin as it did IOTL with slap on the wrist sentences for a few and many getting off clean. Which itself, with the Kaiser getting off lightly, could cause some diplomatic issues in Europe.
 
All very interesting ideas. I guess it's a double barrelled question. My Japan idea was just spitballing, I think the main point is about Kaiser Wilhelm's extradition.

Out of curiosity, what interest did the Dutch have in ol' Kaiser Willy?
 

Japhy

Banned
No real interest, except that they felt that his extradition would be in violation of Dutch Neutrality.
 
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