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Discuss the “Korean problem” in Japanese foreign policy from 1868 to 1910.

Korea was important to Japan in many sense. Geographically speaking, she was described as a “dagger pointed at Japan's heart” since Korea was very near to Japan if she fell into the hands of any hostile countries, especially Russia, would pose a serious threat to Japan's security. Economically speaking, Korea could provide the resources and market which Japan needed to carry our her industrial reform continuously. Diplomatically speaking, Korea could help Japan become a colonial power which indicated Japan was equal to Western Power in position by being her colony. As Korea was so important to Japan, immediately after Meiji Restoration (1868), the Japanese government planned to invade Korea but Japan did not conquer Korea at once, she adopted a progressive policy to annex Korea. At the first stage, she adopted a cautious foreign policy from 1868 to 1894 and the second stage, an ambitious foreign policy was used from 1984 to 1904. Finally, the last stage she adopted am aggressive foreign policy from 1904 to 1910 when she annexed Korea using Ito Hirobumi was killed by a Korean as an excuse. In the following paragraphs, this essay will discuss the “Korean problem” in Japanese foreign policy from 1868 to 1910.

At 1868, after Meiji Restoration, the beginning of the first stage, the Meiji leaders sent a deligation to Korea, declaring the Restoration if Meiji Emperor whose words implied the Japanese Emperor was in position higher than the Korean Emperor. The Korean government took offence to the language used by the Meiji government, making the Japanese felt insulted and demanding to send an expedition to Korea.

Saigo Takamori, one of the Meiji leaders, and his followers proposed an idea of expediting Korea. But, with the end of Iwakura Mission, Iwakura and Ito returned from the Western countries to Japan with much more understanding of the West and modern knowledge than their colleagues in government, advising that the Western countries were far stronger than Japan could imagine. Thus, in their opinion, resources and energy should best be put in modernization first, Korea expedition should be left aside first. Saigo was not able to win over them so the proposal of expediting Korea was forgone for a while. It did not mean that the Meiji government forgo to invade Korea, as the Meiji leaders said to invade Korea was not a mater of goal but a matter of time.

It indicated that Japanese foreign policy was cautious at that time as Japan was still a weak and backward country and she did not want to arouse any anti-Japanese sentiment and suspicion. She helped Kam to form a pro-Japanese faction, the Progressive Party, in Korea, tried to control the Korean court by making use of the Min faction. Though in 1875, Japanese survey ship was fired by Koreans, Japan still acted in a cautious way. She complained to China which was the suzerain of Korea first. Out of surprise, China allowed Japan to negotiate with Korea directly. Japan thus was able to force Korea to sign the Treaty of Kanghwa which gave Japan extra-territorial rights and the most favoured nation treatment.

In 1894, the Tonghak rebellion broke out in Korea which was an anti-government rebellion. The Korean king sought help from China and China quickly responded but Japan also sent her army to Korea according to the Li-Ito Convention (1885) which was a formal recognition of China to Japan interests in Korea and made Korea become a co-protectorate of China and Japan. Japan sent a much larger force to Korea than China which indicated the end of the first stage, the cautious foreign policy of Japan.

After their arrival, the rebellion had been suppressed. China asked Japan to retreat but was rejected by Japan. Since after 30 years modernization, Japan became a modernized country with great military power, her foreign policy changed from cautious to ambitious. Japan attacked Chinese ships. The Sino-Japanese War broke out and ended with Chinese's failure. China had to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, recognising the the full independence status of Korea. Japan ,thus, was able to get a paramount position in Korea. Her ambitious foreign policy achieved her first aim. It marked the staring point of the second stage of Japan's foreign policy which was ambitious in nature.

Out of Japan's aurpriser, the Koreans resisted her invasion very much. The Koreans sought help from the Russians . Russia increased her influence in Korea from 1895 to 1900 and nearly replaced Japan's position in Korea. Although the Japan's foreign policy was now an ambitious policy, she was not dare enough to challenge Russia, a recognised power without any foreign help and enough military preparation . Thus, she tried to seek an ally in Europe. Meanwhile, Britain was seeking an ally in the East which was powerful enough to check Russian's expansion in Far East. Japan , to Britain, was an ideal ally. Hence, they sighed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902 in which each of them promised tat if a third power interfered in the war each of them fighting against another country, the other should give a hand.

While Japan tried to seek an ally, she also increased her naval expenditure making it become powerful enough to fight against the Russian's fleet. With the Anglo-Japanese Alliance and her increasingly powerful navy, Japan started conditioned negotiations with Russia. In Lambonov-Yamagata Agreement, Japan agreed to make Korea a co-protectorate between Russia and herself but this idea was rejected by Russia. Then she tried to “exchange Manchuria for Korea” that she would give Russia free hand in Manchuria if Russia gave her enough freedom in Korea. However, again, Russians response was cold and negative. War was inevitable. In 1904, Japan started a surprising attack on Russian fleet and started the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Due to the wrong prediction of Russia toward Japanese power, Russia was seriously defeated and had to sign the Treaty of Portsmouth in which she admitted the full independence of Korea and let Japan do what she wanted in Korea.

With the victory if Russo-Japanese War, Japan became a recognized world power so her ambition became more obvious and turned her foreign policy from ambitious to aggressive. Japan acted in Korea more aggressively. She made Korea a complete protectorate of Japan and started reform programmes in Korea and interfered directly in Korean administrative affairs. All foreign envoys in Korea retreated. Korea seemed to be a part of Japan.

Finally in 1910, making excuse of Ito Hirobumi being killed by a Korean, the Japanese government annexed Korea. Korea formally became a colony of Japan until 1945, the end of the Second World War. Now Korea was the defensive line of Japan and Japan had no need to worry about any enemies invading Japan through Korea.

To conclude, Japanese foreign policy in the “Korean problem” was first cautious and moderate as Japan still a weak country and then became ambitious due to the success of her modernization programme which gave her enough power to expand overseas. Finally, her foreign policy became aggressive. She annexed Korea in 1910 since she was strong enough to withstand any foreign intervention over this issue.