page_title: Sphere of influence
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Sphere of influence / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: The German and the Japanese direct spheres of influence at their greatest extents during the Second World War in fall 1942. Arrows show planned movements to an agreed demarcation line at 70° E, which was, however, never even approximated. &#160;&#160; The Allied countries. &#160;&#160; Colonies, occupied territories and sphere of influence of the Allies. &#160;&#160; The Axis countries. &#160;&#160; Colonies, occupied territories and sphere of influence of the Axis &#160;&#160; Vichy France and her remaining colonies. &#160;&#160; The Soviet Union, its satellite states and sphere of influence. &#160;&#160; Neutral countries. Deutsch: Die japanischen und deutschen direkten Einflusssphären während des zweiten Weltkrieges zum Zeitpunkt ihrer größten Ausdehnung im Herbst 1942. Pfeile zeigen geplante Bewegungen in Richtung einer vereinbarten Demarkationslinie entlang 70° östl. Länge, welche jedoch nie auch nur ansatzweise erreicht wurde. &#160;&#160; Alliierte &#160;&#160; Kolonien, besetzte Gebiete und Einflussbereiche der Alliierten &#160;&#160; Achsenmächte &#160;&#160; Kolonien, besetzte Gebiete und Einflussbereiche der Achse &#160;&#160; Vichy-Frankreich und verbliebene Kolonien &#160;&#160; Sowjetunion, ihre Satellitenstaaten und Einflussbereiche &#160;&#160; Neutrale Staaten
context_page_description: In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military, or political exclusivity.
  While there may be a formal alliance or other treaty obligations between the influenced and influencer, such formal arrangements are not necessary and the influence can often be more of an example of soft power. Similarly, a formal alliance does not necessarily mean that one country lies within another's sphere of influence. High levels of exclusivity have historically been associated with higher levels of conflict.
  In more extreme cases, a country within the "sphere of influence" of another may become a subsidiary of that state and serve in effect as a satellite state or de facto colony. The system of spheres of influence by which powerful nations intervene in the affairs of others continues to the present. It is often analyzed in terms of superpowers, great powers, and/or middle powers.
  Sometimes portions of a single country can fall into two distinct spheres of influence.
context_section_description: For another example, during the height of its existence in World War II, the Japanese Empire had quite a large sphere of influence. The Japanese government directly governed events in Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and parts of Mainland China. The "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" could thus be quite easily drawn on a map of the Pacific Ocean as a large "bubble" surrounding the islands of Japan and the Asian and Pacific nations it controlled.
caption: German and Japanese direct spheres of influence at their greatest extents in fall 1942.
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