In 1904, Japan launched a sudden attack on Russian naval squadrons, and declared war several days later. This act, although surprising, did not particularly worry Western observers, ignorantly so. The Russo-Japanese war has great significance in the modern era of not only Japan, but also in the world. This event is the most significant turning point in modern Japanese history as it signified Japan’s place in the world as an up and coming power.
The Russo-Japanese war was a conflict that had been building up for some time before war was formally declared. Japan was unable to gain control over territories it considered necessary for expansion. Instead western powers, Russia, France, and Germany advised Japan not to claim areas already belonging to Korea. The tension continuously built up as Russia gained control over the entire Korean Peninsula after advising Japan to allow Korea to operate independently. Russia outnumbered Japan in manpower, however Japan had been growing their military strength by copying many western techniques and using modern military tactics and advanced weaponry. Japan was able to defeat Russia due to their efficient modern technology and tactful warfare.
The Russo-Japanese war was the first time in history that a European power was beaten by an Asian country, winning this war forced the rest of the world to acknowledge Japan’s place as a serious world power. A major contributor to Japan winning this war was that Russia continuously underestimated Japan’s power simply because they saw Asian countries as inferior. This trend was common in many Western Countries as they saw all European powers as greater than other areas of the world. Japan winning forced Russia and other Western powers to abandon racist notions of Asia being inferior and recognize their potential. When Japan set out on their initial attack against Russia, a correspondent from The Times wrote, ‘the Japanese navy has taken the initiative and has opened the way by an act of daring’.1 Later, in 1941 when a similar attack is launched on Pearl Harbor, Westerners view has changed, and this attack is taken much more seriously.
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Although the war was exhausting for Japan both economically and in loss of manpower, it solidified Japan’s hold over Manchuria and Korea. This takeover of Korea allowed Japan to catch up with the rest of world in expansionism and colonialization, although they were a few decades later than European powers. Japan wanted to colonize Korea in order to expand their trading routes. After Japan occupied Korea, they had the lands to expand and develop more industries, helping them to become a modern power, and eventually in 1911 after many frustrating years, they gained tariff autonomy, allowing them to become major players in world trade.2
The outcome of this war legitimized Japan’s continued hunger for expansion and gave them the confidence to become an even greater power. This war enhanced Japan’s legitimacy in the eyes of the rest of world and showed other powers’ that Japan had a formidable modern military. The victory over Russia gave the Japanese more certainty in their abilities and drove them to continue to seek more influence in the world, and it pushed the rest of the world to open their eyes to the growing power in Asia. This war also gave Japan the land they needed in order to expand their industry and open more trade with the rest of the world, contributing to their continuous growth. Although Japan had modernized somewhat by the point of the Russo-Japanese war, this war was a noteworthy event in getting westerners to acknowledge Japan and allowing Japan to reach their full potential as a modern world power.
