What concerned Imperial Japan on the days just prior to its attack on Pearl Harbor?

Answer 1

The Japanese government wanted assurances from both Germany and Italy that they would support Japan if it was at war with the United States. Japanese diplomats had been furiously lobbying Berlin and Rome on this serious matter. Although the Japanese had a draft treaty approved by Hitler and Mussolini, it was not a signed draft. Japan was rightly concerned that Hitler was stalling, and Mussolini would not sign anything unless Hitler signed a treaty first. The Japanese believed the roadblock was the idea that if Germany and Italy would support Japan, they might want a formal agreement that Japan would support Germany and Italy against the Soviet Union.