ABSTRACT
After the Sino-Japanese War a rivalry between Russia and Japan developed in Korea, where the Russians seemingly had gained the upper hand by emerging as the king's protector. The initial Japanese moves in the Russo-Japanese War are often compared to its attack on Pearl Harbor, but in this case the Russians had ample warning of what was coming. The public might have been dissatisfied with the peace settlement, but there is no question that the Russo-Japanese War established Japan as a major military and political power. The goal set by the Meiji leaders in the middle of the nineteenth century of "enriching and strengthening" the nation was seemingly achieved at last. Despite all the difficulties and problems that beset the people, the Meiji era can nevertheless be considered to have been a magnificent half-century for Japan, perhaps the most remarkable such period in all its history.
