Caucasus as an Element of Japan's Anti-Soviet Strategy on Eve of World War II

A. A. Tatarov

doi:10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-2-500-515

Caucasus as an Element of Japan's Anti-Soviet Strategy on Eve of World War II

A. A. Tatarov

https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-2-500-515

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Abstract

This study reconstructs Japanese foreign policy towards the Caucasus in the 1920s and 1930s within the broader context of Tokyo’s anti-Soviet strategy. Drawing primarily from materials related to the Tokyo Trials for war crimes, this research employs a methodology that combines historical reconstruction with comparative geopolitical analysis and regional studies. It demonstrates how Japan established extensive intelligence networks across the Middle East and Europe, recruited agents among Caucasian émigrés, and developed theoretical foundations for subversive activities aimed at fostering separatist movements. A significant finding is the conclusion of a German-Japanese agreement in 1937 providing joint support for anti-Soviet forces, under which the Caucasus was designated as Japan’s area of responsibility. Despite some efforts toward implementation, large-scale plans for creating a “fifth column” in the region ultimately failed due to vigilance by Soviet state security agencies, geographical distance between Japan and the Caucasus, Japan’s involvement in the Sino-Japanese conflict, and ineffective collaboration within the Axis powers.

Keywords

Caucasus, Japan, subversive activity, covert operations, military attachés, Japanese foreign policy, USSR

About the Author

A. A. Tatarov

Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov
Russian Federation

Azamat A. Tatarov, PhD in History, Associate Professor, Department of General History

Nalchik

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Review

For citations:

Tatarov A.A. Caucasus as an Element of Japan's Anti-Soviet Strategy on Eve of World War II. Nauchnyi dialog. 2026;15(2):500-515. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-2-500-515

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