Zhukov also kicked Japan’s ass in 1939, in a battle that was kept hush-hush at the time, so Japan knew what they were up against.
And heres me thinking that Hirohito had said the Americans had used a ‘’terrible new weapon’’ for which they had no defense. So it was the Russkies who won WW2 in the Pacific?
Yes, Japan was in fear of Russia, and had a regional rivalry with them going back the 1904/5 war and the 1894/5 war.
I'm sure Hitler tried to convince Japan to attack Russia when Germany did, but obviously Japan wanted no part of that.