Soviet-Japanese Alliance?

Reading the thread "Three-way Cold War?" (https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=205028), a Russo-Japanese Alliance is mentioned, stemming my curiosity. Upon the termination of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Britain feared that Japan would grow closer to Germany (which it did OTL) or Russia. What if Japan would have grown closer to the Soviet Union, instead of Germany? I believe that the only way this alliance could be is if the Nazis never rose to power and Germany remained weak, allowing the Soviets to pursue their agenda in Eastern Europe. Some say that Indian nationalists rebelling against British rule would make a third member of this ATL Tripartite Pact.
 
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The Japanese were waging war on Soviet clients and puppets. Both Nationalist and Communist factions received Soviet support indeed the former was more favoured for a long time.


So long as the Japanese are attacking China they cannot ally with the Soviets given their opposing interests at the centre of Japan's strategic vision.
 
Some time after 1942 a significant faction in the Jpanese government saw the USSR as a counter weight to the US/British alliance. After the Tojo government fell in 1944 this counter weight concept grew towards something approaching a formal alliance, at least in the minds of some Japanese leaders. They expected a nuetral USSR to aid them economically and distract the western Allies in Europe. Some of these leaders thought the USSR could persuade the US to enter peace talks and help save some of the empire, anything to avoid the Unconditional Surrender terms. In the early summer of 1945 shortly after Germany was overrun, some diplomatic feelers were put to the Soviet government on this subject. The response was a ambigious non response which the Japanese proponents interpreted in a positive way.

I really have no idea if Stalin & Co could have taken advantage of this. Or if there could have been any advantage.
 
In the early summer of 1945 shortly after Germany was overrun, some diplomatic feelers were put to the Soviet government on this subject. The response was a ambigious non response which the Japanese proponents interpreted in a positive way.

You forgot to mention that the ambiguous non-testiness were a stalling tactic while the Red Army completed preparations for the Manchurian Operation. That offensive makes it pretty clear what Stalin thought of any prospective alliance with Japan.

Japan really just doesn't have anything to offer the Soviets.
 
If I remember correctly stalin offered Japan a nonaggression pact in 1931 have Japan Accept and it could be the start of an alliance
 
You forgot to mention that the ambiguous non-testiness were a stalling tactic while the Red Army completed preparations for the Manchurian Operation. That offensive makes it pretty clear what Stalin thought of any prospective alliance with Japan.

Japan really just doesn't have anything to offer the Soviets.

Yeah the Soviets had no intention of negotiating, they were just busy moving forces from the West to invade the Japanese holdings.
 
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