Unit IV: Japan as a Global Power and the Road to Conflict

This unit explores Japan's aggressive foreign policy in the early 20th century, its participation in the global diplomatic arena, and the systemic failures that led to its militarization.

1. Japan's Relation with Korea (1870-1905)

Japan viewed Korea as a "dagger pointed at its heart" and sought to eliminate Chinese and Russian influence over the peninsula.

Key Diplomatic and Military Steps:

• The Treaty of Kanghwa (1876): Japan used "gunboat diplomacy" to force Korea to open three ports and declare itself independent from Chinese tributary status.
• First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95): Japan defeated China, leading to the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which formally recognized Korean independence (a prerequisite for Japanese control).
• The Russo-Japanese War (1904-05): Following victory over Russia, Japan established a protectorate over Korea via the Eulsa Treaty.
• Annexation: The process culminated in 1910 with the formal annexation of Korea into the Japanese Empire.

2. Japan in WWI: The 21 Demands

When World War I broke out in Europe, Japan seized the opportunity to expand its influence in East Asia while the Western powers were distracted.

Participation in the War

• Japan honored the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and declared war on Germany in 1914.
• It quickly seized German-held territories in China (Shantung Peninsula) and the Pacific islands.

The 21 Demands (1915)

Japan presented a secret ultimatum to China, divided into five groups, aimed at turning China into a Japanese protectorate.

• Group 1-4: Demanded recognition of Japanese rights in Shantung, Manchuria, and Inner Mongolia.
• Group 5 (The most controversial): Required China to hire Japanese political, financial, and military advisors. This group was later dropped due to international outcry.

3. The Washington Conference (1921-22)

The Washington Conference was an attempt by Western powers to curb Japanese naval expansion and maintain the status quo in the Pacific.

Major Treaties:

• Four-Power Treaty: Britain, USA, France, and Japan agreed to respect each other's Pacific territories and ended the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
• Five-Power Naval Treaty: Set a ratio for capital ships. Japan was limited to a ratio of 3 compared to 5 for the USA and Britain (5:5:3).
• Nine-Power Treaty: Reaffirmed the "Open Door Policy" in China and guaranteed Chinese territorial integrity.

The 5:5:3 Ratio became a symbol of national humiliation for Japanese militarists, who felt Japan was being treated as a second-class power.

4. The Manchurian Crisis (1931)

The Manchurian Crisis marked the end of international cooperation and the beginning of Japan's path toward World War II.

The Mukden Incident

The Kwantung Army (Japanese forces in Manchuria) staged a small explosion near a Japanese-owned railway line and blamed Chinese dissidents. Without authorization from the civilian government in Tokyo, the army invaded and occupied Manchuria.

Consequences:

• Manchukuo: Japan established a puppet state in Manchuria with the last Qing Emperor, Pu Yi, as the figurehead.
• Failure of the League of Nations: China appealed to the League. The Lytton Commission condemned Japan, but the League had no power to enforce its decision.
• Withdrawal: Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933, signaling its rejection of the international order.