Japan as a World Power and Summary
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 11, Lesson 8
A discussion of the rise of Japan as an imperial power in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through successful wars against China and Russia, Japan expanded its territory and influence in East Asia, ultimately annexing Korea in 1910.
One of the repercussions of the Meiji Restoration was that Japan became more imperialistic in its outlook. The Meiji government in Japan built a strong military to expand its influence in Asia; however, Meiji leaders believed that national security depended not only on a strong defense, but also on territorial expansion. This led to friction with China, especially over Taiwan and Korea.
In 1894, Japan and China went to war largely over Korea in what is known as the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). The war allowed both sides to test their modernizing efforts. The Japanese proved victorious and forced China to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki to accept Korean independence and cede the Liaodong peninsula and Taiwan to Japan. China also had to open three ports to Japan and pay a large indemnity in silver. The First Sino-Japanese War proved that Japan’s modernizing efforts had worked and suggested that the Chinese approach to modernization had failed. By the end of the 19th century, Japan had started to become a regional power.
Immediately after the terms of the treaty became public, Russia—with its own imperialistic interests and sphere of influence in China—expressed concern about the Japanese acquisition of the Liaodong Peninsula and the possible impact of the terms of the treaty on the stability of China. This led to a tense standoff between the two nations. Russia persuaded France and Germany to apply diplomatic pressure on Japan to return the Liaodong peninsula territory to China. To counter Russia's influence, Japan signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty with Britain. The British recognized Japanese interests in Korea and Manchuria and assured Japan they would remain neutral in case of a Russo-Japanese war but would become more actively involved if another power entered the war as a Russian ally. In response to this alliance, Russia sought to form alliances with western powers. In 1902, a mutual pact was signed between France and Russia.
In 1904, the tension between Russia and Japan escalated into a full-out war. The nature of the Anglo-Japanese alliance meant that, although France and Russia had strong economic ties, France was unable to come to Russia’s aid as this would mean war with Britain. The Russo-Japanese War broke out with Japanese surprise attacks on Russian warships. With tremendous loss of life on both sides, the Japanese won a series of land battles and then decisively defeated Russia’s Baltic Sea Fleet (renamed the Second Pacific Squadron) at the Battle of Tsushima Strait in 1905.
Japanese and Russian representatives negotiated the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth marked by terms favorable to Japanese imperial interests in northeast Asia and had significant implications for the balance of power in the region. Japan gained control of the Liaodong Peninsula, Southern Manchuria, and the territory on the disputed Sakhalin Island. This marked a significant shift in the geopolitical landscape of East Asia.
Although Japan had forced China to recognize Korean independence after the First Sino-Japanese War, in 1910 Japan annexed Korea for itself. The annexation of Korea was a major turning point in Japan's imperial history. It not only expanded Japan's territory and influence but also marked a shift in its foreign policy. From a nation that had once supported Korean independence, Japan had become a colonial power. This annexation would have lasting consequences for both Japan and Korea, and it would continue to shape the region's politics and history for decades to come.
SUMMARY
By 1900, most of Africa and Asia lay under the direct or indirect control of an imperialist power. In just a few centuries, the divided nations of Western Europe had become powerful empires with modern militaries, governments and economies. While Britain reigned over the largest number of territories, other nations like France, Germany and Italy held sizable empires. Although designed to enrich the home countries, imperialism had the effect of spreading European politics, science, technology, economic beliefs, religion and even popular sports across much of the developing world. This era also witnessed the origins of local independence movements, which in time would lead to nationalist movements across the world and would also set into motion geographical disputes that would, in turn, pave the way for the First and Second World Wars of the 20th century.