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Why Japan and Germany Fought Against Each Other In WWI
Including the only major battle fought in Asia during the war
Germany and Japan made an infamous alliance during World War II that linked two militaristic nations on opposite sides of the globe. Japan famously caused Germany to declare war on the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. When the United States and Japan officially went to war, Hitler declared war on the United States as a part of the pact between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. While Japan and Germany did not collaborate as much as they could have, they will forever be linked as allies (and on the wrong side of history) during humanity’s bloodiest conflict.
But just years before Hitler and Hirohito joined forces for World War II, the two nations were on opposite sides of the conflict during World War I. In fact, Germany and Japan fought the only significant engagement of World War I in Asia during a battle that took place in 1914.
Few people remember that Japan fought in World War I, much less against their future allies. So how did Japan and Germany end up on opposite sides of the trenches, and what was the outcome of their military engagement?
