BY: Taylor Johnson, Angie Baltazar, Sam’l Shipman Japanese Imperialism BY: Taylor Johnson, Angie Baltazar, Sam’l Shipman

Meiji Restoration~1867 Mutsuhito took control of the government and named his 45-year reign “Meiji” which means “enlightened rule.” He realized that the best way to counter Western influence was to modernize. He sent diplomats to Europe and North America to choose the best that Western Civilization had to offer. They adopted Germany’s strong centralized government, the discipline of the German army, the skill of the British army, American system of universal public education, and all of Western industrialization. They built railroads, factories, modernized their military, and required that all Japanese children attend school.

Sino-Japanese War~1885 Japan and China had pledged that they wouldn’t send their armies into Korea. In June 1894, China troops marched into Korea because the Korean king asked for military help in putting rebellions down. Japan sent in troops to fight the Chinese. War lasted for a few months. Japan drove the Chinese out of Korea, and destroyed the Chinese navy. In 1895, they signed a peace treaty, giving Japan Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands.

Russo-Japanese War~1904 Russia and Japan were major powers and enemies. They went to war over Manchuria. In 1903, Japan offered to recognize Russia’s rights in Manchuria if the Russians agreed to stay out of Korea, but the Russians refused. In February 1904, Japan surprised Russian ships. Japan drove Russian troops out of Korea, and captured most of the Russian fleet. In 1905, they began peace negotiations, with the help of Theodore Roosevelt. The treaty was signed on a ship off Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Treaty of Portsmouth gave Japan the captured territories and forced Russia to withdraw from Manchuria and stay out of Korea.

Korea~1905 Japan made Korea a protectorate, and sent in “advisers” who grabbed more and more power from the Korean government. The Korean king couldn’t get international support for his regime. In 1907, he gave up control of the country. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea. The Japanese were harsh rulers. They shut down Korean newspapers, and took over Korean schools, replacing all Korean studies with Japanese subjects. They took land away from Korean farmers and gave it to Japanese settlers. They forbade Koreans from going into business but encouraged Japanese businessmen to start industries in Korea.