Time Slip Reiwa Japan

A.D.1936 - 027 - Tokyo Naval Treaty

"It is very true that we ought to think of the happiness of others; but it is not often enough said that the best thing we can do for those who love us is to be happy ourselves."

Émile Auguste Chartier

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The Ethiopian Crisis of 1935, Germany's declaration of rearmament, and the enactment of the Treaty of Birmingham made the G4 countries feel threatened by war. The four countries profiting from the current system did not want war at all. *1 Not the kind of war that could have been waged against a lesser nation, but a war between real developed nations.

In the case of the Ethiopian Crisis against Italy, Britain had blockaded the Suez Canal, and Japan had taken out battleships and large aircraft carriers in an unprecedented response, so the chances of a real war were extremely low. While France had more than 100 divisions and tanks, Germany had only 10 divisions and no tanks. However, in the event of a real war, they would conscript and build up a large army in the blink of an eye. France recognized that Germany had that kind of power, and this was the reason why France wanted to win the war against Germany with a blitzkrieg first strike.

However, the Treaty of Birmingham eliminated that condition. The treaty gave Germany the freedom to legally form 60 new divisions. It also made it possible to procure tanks. It had the right to build a modern army, albeit on a lesser scale than that of France. In return, France was given the right to procure 200 Type 31Fs, the tanks of the future, but it was doubtful that this was equivalent to allowing Germany to rearm – French public opinion had decided that it was.

And they were divided. While the mainstream opinion was that France should conclude an alliance with Poland to attack Germany, there was also a certain amount of support in France for the idea that Germany should be softened up and a path to peace should be pursued, as the memory of the World War was still fresh.

The moderate faction in France was joined by Britain. The sun never sets on Britain, which runs a global empire, but recently, independence movements have been gaining momentum in its colonies around the world. If there was an armed uprising, all that was needed was to suppress it, but all the colonies were in the same non-violent, non-submissive movement. *2 To be honest, Britain had a lot on its mind. It would be a nuisance if war broke out outside the world empire while it was in turmoil inside. Therefore, it was time to exercise its political power to the fullest.

As for the remaining two countries of the G4, it was easy. Neither Japan nor the US wanted a war. Both were absorbed in the management of their newly acquired territories and recognized that the only thing standing in their way – war – was to be spurred. Japan had a series of minor conflicts with the Soviet Union, and the US with China, but they had no desire to wage a major war, a total national war.

In addition to the G4, only three other countries were summoned. These were the powers that could wage a total war: Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. Each nation decided to participate in Britain's proposal for its own reasons. Germany joined in order to buy time to rearm. Italy wanted to gain political publicity for being one of the top nations in the world. The Soviet Union was looking for a pretext for a purge to unite the country. The seven nations gathered in Tokyo, the site of the conference. *4

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Tokyo Naval Treaty

The basic aim of the conference was to curb further large-scale shipbuilding competition based on the current military strength. The first proposal for the ownership ratio of capital ships *3 was 5:5:5:1,67:1,67:1:1 for the seven nations of Britain, the United States, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union.