Why Did Japan Fight In The 20th Century

The end of the 19th century saw the continued expansion of Japan’s nationalism and imperial power within the Asia Pacific region. After the first Sino-Japanese war ended in 1895, Japan had taken control of Taiwan and Manchuria, gained a large influence in Korea, and replaced China as the framer of international order in East Asia. Undoubtedly, this power shift was the beginning of tension between Japan and the rest of the Asia Pacific region, but how did Japan’s action in the 20th century turn this tension into a historical legacy? Although military and territorial disputes seem to be a large part of the answer, they are not the sole reasons behind the tension in Japanese foreign relation. To thoroughly determine the answer, we must look at
The first Sino-Japanese war ended 5 years prior to the 20th century and Japan was under the rule of Emperor Mutsuhito during the Meiji period. When Meiji came to power in 1868, Japan saw the fall of the Edo period and the end of the Tokugawa military government leaving Japan’s defence lacking in skill and its government susceptible to external influence. Previously, Japan had a strong anti-foreign stance after an influx of westerners, particularly from the United States, led to the end of Japanese isolation. An extract from Japan’s Meiji Restoration, an article written by James Stanlaw, recounts “in 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry and his squadron of U.S. Navy steamships forced their way into Edo Bay, demanding trade and other privileges. Other Western powers followed, and the country flew into a panic,” (2015). It seems important to note that Japan seemed intent with their lack of foreign relations, so it is hardly surprising that this forced westernisation of the Japanese Islands created resentment towards foreign influence and led to an
Nationalism can be defined as the “advocacy of or support for the interests of one's own nation, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations,” (Oxford English Dictionary, 1884) which suggests nationalists may have a lack of consideration for other countries and be ignorant – or simply uncaring – towards the effects their nationalist actions have. As a direct consequence of the Meiji restoration, Japan began the 20th century by declaring war on the Russian Empire in 1904. This is an example of how the Japanese acted to further their nationalist agenda and it was also an action that contributed to the 20th century tension. Japan had become concerned over Russia’s expansion after a project harvesting timber began along the Yalu river on the boarder of China and North Korea. A year prior to the war, negotiations began between Japan and Russia, but to no avail. It is reported in an article by Hans Heilbronner and Art Barbeau that the Russian Admiral showed racial prejudice towards the Japanese and after several months without progress, Japan’s ambassador left the Yalu River to return home (“Russo-Japanese War”, 2015). Two days later, Japan launched an attack on a Russian fleet in Manchuria effectively starting the first Russo-Japanese war. Japan’s behaviour towards the Russians largely contribute towards the legacy