Essay on Meiji Imperialism Planned or Unplanned

Before the Meiji era, Japan experienced rule by the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo era. The Tokugawa shogunate did not allow other nations into Japan because â€Å"they had opened Japan to ‘corruption’ by the ideas of Christianity† (Beasley 22). However, the arrival of the American commander, Commodore Matthew C. Perry in the port of Edo changed Japan forever. â€Å"The advent of the Western powers thoroughly dislodged the Tokugawa international order. In March 1854, Japan concluded with the United States the ‘Treaty of Amity’ and, in July 1858, the ‘Treaty of Amity and Commerce’† (Zachmann 12). Japan was forced to sign the treaty, which opened the floodgates for other nations such as Britain and Russia to impose unequal treaties on Japan. This†¦show more content†¦Japan’s claim to these islands was based on historical ties that dated back to the twelfth century. However, the islanders paid homage to the Chinese as w ell, and it wasn’t until the murder of shipwrecked Ryukyans by Taiwanese aboriginals that Japan was able to implement their general goal. In 1879,through skillful diplomacy and military expedition, the Meiji government won recognition of its sovereignty over the islands over China and the Western powers. Another more noteworthy example was the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. All previous invasions from Asia came through the Korean peninsula. Korea was considered dangerous to Japan’s security if it were to be controlled by a third power (China). About ten years before the Sino-Japanese War, the German advisor to Japan’s army advised that they should be prepared to fight China if necessary. Yamagata Aritomo, the architect of the modern Japanese army, agreed. Oh argued that â€Å"since Japan had prepared carefully between 1885-1894, she was thus ready to respond unhesitatingly to the ‘various unexpected happenings’ in Korea early in 1894† (Wray 129). Even though the Triple Intervention forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to Russia after the war, Japan did not come out empty handed from their involvement in the war. According to Article II of the Treaty of Shimonoseki: China cedes to Japan in perpetuity and full sovereignty the following territories, together with all fortifications,