The Origins of War: Japan, the Army, and East Asia

Abstract

In essence, all war is political theatre. Between 1868 and 1945, the modern Japanese state fought three major wars: indicative of its aspirations at the time the first two, against China and Russia, were performed for a Western audience, the last, against the United States and the Western imperial powers, was played to Asia. In each case, Japan attempted to win plaudits by virtue of its military strength, but also by the values it espoused in conducting the war, the text if you will to the dramatic action. The conflict with China in 1894–5 was intended in part to separate Japan from the rest of Asia and grant it Western approval for a new and more equitable relationship. The reason for this was Japan’s fear of being drowned in what appeared to be the last tidal wave of Western imperialism. Victory over China was to establish a bulwark around Japan and elevate it to a drier plane in the global order. Thus, to understand the war, we must first summarise Japan’s international relations to 1894.