I'm Japanese and never really got this part of history but was Japan secretly scared of Hitler and the Nazis and that's why the Japanese became Nazis? The reason I ask is because Japan is such a small country its hard to believe that they were any real threat to any nation? Also its pretty weird to me that Japan would join Hitler just to launch a suicide attack that made the USA join the war ?? Also I saw some information online that said Japan allied itself against the USA during WW2 because it was afraid that the USA was pushing democracy through the east and eventually to Japan itself, but after Japan lost the war and rebuilt itself its now one of the most Democratic and culturally "western" Asian country's around which is exactly the opposite of what japan wanted and the reason they were enemies with the united states ???
because Japan is such a small country its hard to believe that they were any real threat to any nation
It's worth noting that by the 'traditional' start date of 1939 September 1, Japan had already been embroiled in the Second Sino-Japanese War since 1937 July 7. That's not yet counting pretty much all its military history since the First Sino-Japanese War. Suffice it to say that they could be quite threatening, especially as they'd made great efforts to modernise their army and navy during the Meiji Era.
On the direct reasons and the situation that led to Japan allying with Germany and Italy during the Second World War, this previous thread with contributions from u/Lubyak and u/Starwarsnerd222 should be a good read for you. (Don't forget Lubyak's previous posts on the matter which they link to in that thread.)
As always, more can be said from anyone else capable of addressing the topic, so if you'd like to make a post of your own, please don't let this linkdrop stop you!
It still baffles me that Japan was so strong militarily to fight against China because now days it seems incomprehensible to think Japan would have any chance against China.
// Also I still don’t get Pearl Harbor your saying to keep the USA from potentially intervening in Japans war against China, Japan launched a surprise attack on Hawaii which ultimately lead to the USA to winning the fastest war in history, dropping two nukes? (I have no idea if it was the fastest war in history, don’t sue me)
Finally does anyone else have any reason post WW2 Japan became a very westernized country? I mean we did the exact same thing to Germany but you don’t see Germany becoming westernized, on the contrary I would say Germany stuck mostly to its roots as Europeans.