ABSTRACT
Before World War II, the Japanese empire was the main regional power in East Asia. The expansion of the Japanese empire had begun during the 1894-1895 SinoJapanese War and continued into the early twentieth century as Japan established itself as the regional power with the Russo-Japanese War in 1904-1905 and the annexation of Korea in 1910. Following the Manchurian Incident in 1931, Japan resumed its imperial expansion by extending its territory from East Asia to Southeast Asia before eventually collapsing after its defeat in World War II. During this fi fty-year period, the rule of the Japanese empire can be said to have maintained regional order in East Asia to a greater or lesser extent. Japan’s infl uence during its era of colonial rule cannot be ignored, particularly with respect to its long-established colonies, Korea and Taiwan. This Japan-centered regional order came to a close as a result of World War II; however, it was a closure that was brought about through external pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union and not due to internal resistance from the colonized peoples, as was the case for the wars of decolonization of Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Indonesia.
