ABSTRACT
In the imperialist power games of the nineteenth century, Japan was a relatively weak yet assertive non-Western upstart. By the middle of the century, this country that had virtually isolated itself from the outside world for more than two hundred years was forced to accede to Western pressure to open itself to foreigners—and specifically, foreign trade. Japan’s change of course roughly coincided with the Great Reforms that took place in Russia after its defeat in the Crimean War, 1853–56. The rivalry culminated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–5 over the control of the Far East, with Japan emerging as the victor. Ironically, this war proved to be the beginning of Japan’s political romance with Russia, a furtive romance that continued for several decades and exposed Japan’s vulnerability to Russian secret intelligence. Undeniably, Japan and the United States were concerned about Russia’s advance to the east, which did not stop in 1895.
