The Army and Continental Imperialism, 1906–7

Abstract

The post-war years are a watershed in the history of Japanese imperialism and of Japan’s position in the world. Now, albeit informally, the modern Japanese empire extended to the East Asian continent. This gave rise to new, and increasingly independent, Japanese armies on the mainland; it also encouraged political assertiveness by the army within Japan. In contrast, the move away from a policy of southern expansion only confirmed the nåvy as a minor player in decisions about the wider empire. The underlying weakness of Japan’s continental authority, however, was quickly exposed by the continuing rivalry between Japanese soldiers and diplomats in Manchuria; this resulted in severe damage to Japan’s relations with China, Britain and the US. The deficiences of Japanese imperialism were also apparent in its failed attempt to apply a British model of informal control in Korea.