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Say that the Kwantung Army never invaded Manchuria. Also say that Japan, although realizing it would never reach the self-sufficiency needed to become a true great power, decided to forgo campaigns of expansion in Asia, limiting itself to what it had in Korea, its economic interests in Manchuria and the other territories it already held before the OTL invasion of Manchuria.

So then, no war with China, no occupying European colonies, no Pearl Harbor.

However, events in Europe go on much like OTL, though the United States gets in on the war slightly later. Without a Pacific Front, the U.S can use her full might on the Germans, so the Allies defeat her somewhat sooner than OTL (I can't think of an exact year really. 1943-4 maybe?)

Anyway, what I'm really wondering is this: It's the end of the Second World War. Europe is in ruins. China is in civil war. The U.S is now unquestionably the world's superpower, with the U.S.S.R not far behind. What does Japan do now? Where does she start looking for friends and allies? How will she respond to decolonization in Asia? Where would her economy turn?

And she still has an amazingly strong navy and army. What happens to them?
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