ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the state of the Anglo-Japanese relationship from August 1892 to July 1894, when the escalation of domestic instability in Korea developed into another crisis between the Qing and Japan, and the eventual triggering of the First Sino-Japanese War. Until late June, the British government remained relatively idle over the Sino-Japanese crisis, as much of the attention of the British officials in East Asia, especially the officers in the China Squadron, was directed towards the contemporary Franco-Siamese confrontation. Throughout the Sino-Japanese crisis, the Japanese government was influenced by the political environment – both domestic and international – to negotiate with its Qing and the Choson counterparts in a very firm manner. Affected by series of events prior to the outbreak of war, the British and the Japanese continued to see each other with suspicion throughout the times of crisis, and would continue to do so after the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War.
