Japan

• In 1905 Japan had fought against the USSR, and there was still rivalry. The Communist USSR had developed the Comintern: a group dedicated to spreading Communism around the world
• In November 1936 Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, an agreement to work together against Communism, later joined by Mussolini
• By 1936 Japan had invaded much of China. They were concerned about the USSR invading, and they thought allying with Germany would reduce the chance of this
• Japan later joined the Pact of Steel in 1940
• Unlikely to stand up to Hitler