Soviet Considerations: The Soviet Union's primary concern in early 1941 was the threat posed by Germany. As Germany expanded across Europe, Stalin grew increasingly worried that the Soviet Union might be the next target. Therefore, the Soviet Union sought to secure its eastern borders by signing a neutrality pact with Japan, enabling it to concentrate more military forces and resources on the potential western front.
Japanese Considerations: For Japan, the Soviet Union also represented a potential threat. Japan had clashed with the Soviet Union in the Battles of Khalkhin Gol (Nomonhan Incident) in 1939 and suffered significant losses. Moreover, Japan was contemplating how to achieve its expansionist goals in Asia, particularly in the Pacific region. Maintaining neutrality with the Soviet Union allowed Japan to focus its attention and resources on expansion southward, particularly against Western colonial powers like Britain and the United States in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
Avoiding a Two-Front War: For both parties, avoiding the opening of another front at this time was crucial. The Soviet Union did not want to worry about its eastern border in the face of potential conflict with Germany, and Japan did not want to divert forces to deal with the Soviet threat while engaged in military operations in the south and the Pacific.

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