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German agreement to criticise their WWII ally? (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

japan

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'their wwii ally?' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'german agreement to criticise' is the wordplay.
'german agreement' becomes 'ja' ('yes' in German).
'to criticise' becomes 'pan' (informal term meaning to criticise heavily).
'ja'+'pan'='JAPAN'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for japan that I've seen before include "It's a string of more than 3,000 islands" , "Far Eastern island country" , "East Asian country" , "East Asian island nation" , "Glossy black lacquer" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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