Imperial Japanese Armed Forces
The IJAF was founded with an edict emanated on 3 January 1868, as part of the Japanese reorganization of the army and the application of innovations during the Meiji Restoration.[3] Since the Meiji era, the Choshu Domain from Yamaguchi Prefecture dominated the IJA.[3] The IJA considered Nazi Germany as a natural partner and the Soviet Union as a threat, while the IJN stressed that collaboration with Nazi Germany would hurt relations with the United Kingdom and the United States.[3] The Imperial Army and Navy had a fierce interservice rivalry centering around how the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces ought to secure territories containing valuable natural resources not available at home to fuel and grow the Japanese economy.The Army mainly supported the Hokushin-ron doctrine, which called for expansion into Manchuria and Siberia and would have the army take on a prime role, while the Navy supported the Nanshin-ron doctrine, which stated that Japan ought to expand into Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and would be reliant on the navy to do so.