Italian-Japanese relations during the crisis of fascist Italy, 1943-1945

The alliance between Italy and Japan, during World War II, is far from being considered a relevant topic and generally speaking, the history of the war often neglects to consider the third party in the Tripartite Alliance. This changed in the last decades with the development of a global perspective in the study of the Second World War. However, the relations between Italy and Japan are still a scarce presence in the current historiography. This article examines the reactions of the Japanese government and armed forces to the surrender of Italy on 8 September 1943 and the subsequent attempts of the collaborationist government of the Repubblica Sociale Italiana to rebuild the diplomatic and political ties with Japan. The contribution starts with the spread of the myth of Mussolini in Japan and the first signs of military and economic cooperation between Italy and Japan, as well as the contacts between the 2 countries within the Tripartite Pact. Furthermore, the article considers the point of view of Japanese observers in Italy concerning Fascism and the country in general, with the aim of constructing the ground work to build up further research on the contacts and relations between the two 'minor' members of the Tripartite Pact.