Japan was the most delighted to see Germany grow stronger. Germany could tie down the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and a whole host of other countries, giving Japan the confidence to realize its strategic ambitions of expansion in the Far East.
Even if Germany unified all of Europe, it would not threaten Japan's interests in the slightest.
On the contrary, the other European powers were the greatest obstacles to Japan's expansion throughout the Far East. Taking the Far East Empire as an example, the ranking of foreign interests there could currently be divided as follows.
Japan ranked first. After occupying the Northeast in 1931, Japan had continued to infiltrate and nibble away at other regions over the years. Japan's interests in the Far East Empire were led by military and political concerns, accompanied by enormous economic gains.
Yet in terms of economic interests alone, Britain's stake in the Far East Empire was even greater. Although its influence had gradually declined since the First World War, Britain remained the Western power with the largest economic interests in China. It had long ranked first in investment in the Far East Empire, covering such vital fields as finance, trade, investment, and shipping.
Next came the Soviet Union and France. The Soviet Union's interests in the Far East Empire differed completely from those of the other powers, carrying stronger political and strategic overtones, while its economic returns were not high.
France's interests in the Far East Empire were also considerable, but its focus lay in the southwest, so its conflict with Japan was temporarily limited. However, setting aside the Far East Empire and looking at Southeast Asia, Japan could not possibly remain unmoved by France's interests in Indochina.
As for East Africa and the United States, neither belonged to Europe, so they were outside