The original Axis powers in World War II were Germany, Italy, and Japan. Germany, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, sought to expand its territory and establish a racially superior state. Italy, led by Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party, aimed to restore Italy's former glory. Japan, governed by militarists, sought to create a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and dominate the Asia-Pacific region.