• Date: 📅 27 September 1940
• Players: 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇩🇪 Germany & 🇮🇹 Italy
• Main Points
  • 🇯🇵 Japan's the boss in Asia.
  • 🇩🇪 Germany & 🇮🇹 Italy rule Europe.
  • If anyone not fighting in the European war or Sino-Japanese conflict picks a fight with one, the others got their back.
• Real-world example: Think of it like the popular kids forming an alliance in school. They've got each other's backs against any outsiders!

• That unnamed power they all feared? Yep, the good ol' US of A.
• Japan's angle: Wanted to avoid the UK 🇬🇧 teaming up with the US against them.
• Germany's game: Hoped the pact would make the US think twice before helping Britain.

Real-world example: It's like having a big brother (US) and being wary of making his little sibling (UK) upset.

• Tensions high after the Soviet Union's invasion of Finland in the Winter War (1939-40). Made worse when the League of Nations gave USSR the boot!
• Fun Fact: China 🇨🇳, being in the League's council, could've saved USSR from this embarrassment. But, they decided to sit this one out.
• Jiang of China thought Stalin was using the Japanese conflict as a distraction from a potential attack on the Soviet Union. Crafty, huh?

• Battle of Khalkhin-Gol (Japanese call it Nomonhan): A brutal battle where 20,000 Japanese met their end - not just from fighting, but also from hunger and disease. 😢
• Impact: This, plus disappointment over the Nazi-Soviet Pact, made Japan rethink their 'attack the north' plan. They leaned more into the 'go south' strategy.
• Real-world example: Imagine going to a park and always playing on the north side because it's fun. One day, the north side's slide breaks, and you find the south side's swing. So, you switch!