ABSTRACT
After the East Asian crises from December 1884 to February 1887, the governments involved in regional affairs started to formulate their policy upon clear recognition that the Qing had emerged as the most influential power. This chapter analyses British and the Japanese policies towards East Asia within the international environment, and how the Anglo-Japanese relationship developed after the East Asian crises. After the East Asian crises, the Qing became more assertive in its efforts to increase its influence in Korea than before. Accordingly, several Japanese historians have argued that Britain started to adopt a more pro-Chinese attitude after the East Asian crises in the mid-1880s. There are many historians who argue that after the East Asian crises, the Japanese government realised the need to strengthen its military and strategic foothold in Korea in order to address what they considered to be the increasing threat coming from the Qing.
