Why didn’t Japan annex North Sakhalin Island during the Russian Civil War while they occupied it?I understand handing over the rest of the Russian Far East as it would be difficult to defend and was overwhelmingly Russians who wanted them out, but North Sakhalin was sparsely populated, economically and strategically valuable, and most importantly it would be virtually impossible for the Soviets to take it from them if they just annexed it, and I doubt they would even try too given the situation they were in at the time.I don’t see why they saw Poland and the Baltics successfully fight off the Soviets but still felt they had to hand back the north of the island.
>>17433788https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Japanese_Basic_Convention
>>17433792>Japan agreed to extend diplomatic recognition to the Soviet Union and to withdraw its troops from the northern half of Sakhalin islandWorst mistake move
>>17433792That’s more of a how than a why
>>17433788>rest of the Russian Far East as it would be difficult to defendWould it have been difficult to defend? Its very far from the rest of Russia and connected by a single railway line.
>>17433869In the short term definitely no, the Soviets of that time lost a war to Poland who was on their West where most of their population/infrastructure was, no way in hell they could have driven out a fresh Japanese Empire.Long term it would have been a bitch to occupy though probably worth it. The Western powers would have been pissed but Japans goals necessitated pissing them off anyways so whatever.
>>17433857They gave it up in exchange for good relationships and trade agreements
>>17433901Could they not have given up Vladivostok for good relations and trade and kept Sakhalin? It seems Japan had literally all the cards at that point
>>17433897>the Soviets of that time lost a war to Poland Should’ve kept northern part. Miss opportunity.
>>17433908They evacuated from Vladivostok much earlier under the pressure from the Entente. The Soviets also refused to concede Northern Sakhalin on any conditions
>>17433920Why? What value did it have?
>>17433920Only thing the red bolsheviks can’t win, superior naval warfare
