The Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 was one of the most important conflicts of the early twentieth century.
At first glance, it was a war over territory and influence in East Asia. The Russian Empire was expanding toward the Pacific, while Japan, transformed by rapid modernization, was establishing itself as a regional power.
The conflict ended with an outcome that few outside Japan had expected.
Japan defeated Russia.
This was the first time in the modern era that an Asian power had decisively defeated a major European imperial power in a major war. The consequences were enormous. The war changed the balance of power in Asia, contributed to the Russian Revolution of 1905, encouraged anti-colonial movements around the world, and provided military lessons that would influence the First World War.
It also helped create the strategic conditions that would eventually lead Japan toward further imperial expansion and conflict in China and the Pacific.
The Russo-Japanese War was therefore much more than a regional conflict. It was a turning point in modern world history.
Russia and Japan Before the War
The war emerged from the collision of two expanding empires.
Russia was an established great power.
Japan was a rising power that had transformed itself in only a few decades.
Both countries had ambitions in East Asia.
Both were interested in Korea and Manchuria.
Both wanted access to strategic ports and economic opportunities.
Eventually, their interests became incompatible.
The Russian Empire
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia was one of the largest states in the world.
The Russian Empire stretched across Europe and Asia.
Its territories included:
- Eastern Europe
- Siberia
- Central Asia
- The Caucasus
- The Russian Far East
Russia had been expanding eastward for centuries.
By the nineteenth century, it had reached the Pacific.
In 1860, Russia founded Vladivostok, which became its major Pacific naval base.
The Russian Empire wanted access to warm-water ports.
Vladivostok was strategically important, but its waters were affected by winter ice.
Russia therefore sought a more suitable naval base farther south.
The Far East also offered opportunities for:
- Trade
- Railway development
- Natural resources
- Strategic expansion
The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, begun in 1891, was intended to connect European Russia with the Pacific.
This was a remarkable engineering project.
It also had a military purpose.
The railway would allow Russia to move troops and supplies across its enormous territory.
However, the railway was not initially complete when war broke out.
This would become a major problem.
Russia possessed enormous resources, but distance was a major obstacle.
The Russian government could theoretically mobilize enormous armies.
The question was whether it could move those armies to the Far East quickly enough.
Japan Before the War
Japan had undergone a dramatic transformation.
For centuries, Japan had been governed by the Tokugawa shogunate.
The country had a sophisticated society and economy, but its political system was relatively isolated from the major industrial powers of Europe and North America.
This changed dramatically in the nineteenth century.
In 1853, American Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan with a squadron of warships.
Japan was pressured into opening its ports to foreign trade.
The experience was deeply unsettling for Japanese leaders.
The country had seen what had happened to China when European powers imposed their will on the Qing Empire.
Japan's leaders feared that their own country could suffer the same fate.
The result was the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
Power was formally restored to the emperor, although the new government was dominated by modernizing political leaders.
The new Japanese government embarked on an extraordinary program of modernization.
Japan rapidly developed:
- Modern industry
- Railways
- Telegraphs
- Modern education
- A conscript army
- A modern navy
- Western-style political institutions
Japanese leaders did not simply want to imitate Europe.
They wanted Japan to become strong enough to avoid being dominated by European empires.
The famous principle was essentially:
Modernize or be conquered.
The result was the creation of a modern nation-state capable of projecting military power beyond the Japanese islands.
Japan's modernization was one of the most remarkable transformations in nineteenth-century history.
The First Sino-Japanese War
The conflict between Japan and Russia cannot be understood without considering the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895.
Japan and China fought over influence in Korea.
Korea was formally independent, but it was historically within China's sphere of influence.
Japan increasingly viewed Korea as essential to its own security.
Japanese strategists feared that a hostile great power controlling Korea could threaten the Japanese homeland.
The war ended in a decisive Japanese victory.
China was defeated.
Japan gained:
- Taiwan
- The Pescadores Islands
- Recognition of Korean independence
- A large indemnity
Japan also gained the Liaodong Peninsula in southern Manchuria.
This was strategically significant because it included Port Arthur.
However, Russia, France, and Germany intervened diplomatically and forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula to China.
This became known as the Triple Intervention.
The experience deeply angered Japan.
Japan had defeated China but had been forced to surrender territory by European powers.
The humiliation had an important consequence.
Japan increasingly concluded that it needed to become strong enough that European powers could no longer dictate terms to it.
A few years later, Russia acquired a lease on the Liaodong Peninsula from China and obtained Port Arthur.
From the Japanese perspective, this was particularly offensive.
Russia had effectively gained the territory that Japan had been forced to surrender.
The rivalry between the two powers intensified.
Russia Moves into Manchuria
Russia's expansion into Manchuria greatly increased tensions.
Manchuria was strategically important.
It bordered Russia, Korea, and the Pacific.
The region offered:
- Railways
- Natural resources
- Economic opportunities
- Strategic depth
Russia obtained major economic and political influence in the region.
The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and later the South Manchurian Railway helped strengthen Russian control.
Russia also gained the lease of Port Arthur, which became a major naval base.
Russia's expansion was accelerated by the Boxer Rebellion in China from 1899 to 1901.
An international coalition intervened to suppress the rebellion.
Russia sent troops into Manchuria.
Although Russia promised to withdraw, its forces did not leave as quickly or completely as Japan expected.
From the Japanese perspective, Russian expansion was becoming increasingly threatening.
If Russia controlled Manchuria and gained dominant influence over Korea, Japan could find itself strategically encircled.
The rivalry was therefore about much more than abstract imperial ambition.
For Japan, Korea was viewed as a vital security interest.
For Russia, Manchuria offered a major opportunity for economic and strategic expansion.
The two powers were moving toward a collision.
The Central Dispute: Korea and Manchuria
The diplomatic crisis revolved primarily around two questions:
- Who would dominate Korea?
- Who would control Manchuria?
Japan was willing to recognize Russian interests in Manchuria if Russia recognized Japanese predominance in Korea.
Japanese diplomats proposed arrangements that would divide spheres of influence.
However, negotiations failed.
The Russian government did not appear to treat Japan as an equal military power.
This was a major miscalculation.
Many Russian officials believed Japan would not risk war against a major European empire.
Japan reached the opposite conclusion.
If Russia continued to expand, Japan might soon face an even more powerful opponent.
The Japanese government therefore decided that waiting could make the strategic situation worse.
In February 1904, Japan launched a surprise attack against the Russian naval forces at Port Arthur.
The Russo-Japanese War had begun.
The Attack on Port Arthur
The Japanese attack on Port Arthur was one of the most important naval operations of the early twentieth century.
Japanese torpedo boats attacked the Russian fleet at night.
Several Russian ships were damaged.
The attack did not destroy the entire Russian fleet.
But it achieved its primary strategic objective.
Japan wanted to prevent the Russian Pacific Squadron from interfering with the movement of Japanese armies to the Asian mainland.
The attack demonstrated the growing importance of:
- Torpedoes
- Night operations
- Naval bases
- Surprise attacks
The Japanese navy had been modernized using a combination of domestic development and foreign technology.
It was a modern fleet capable of conducting complex operations.
The Russian fleet at Port Arthur was now under pressure.
Japan also needed to move its army across the sea.
This meant that naval control was essential.
The war would be decided on both land and sea.
The Japanese Army Invades Korea
Japan quickly moved forces into Korea.
Japanese troops advanced northward toward the Yalu River.
The Russian army in the region was not yet fully prepared.
The Japanese Army was well trained and organized.
It had adopted many elements of modern military practice.
Japan had studied European armies, particularly the German military system.
Japanese officers had been trained abroad.
The army used:
- Modern rifles
- Machine guns
- Artillery
- Railways
- Telegraphs
- Modern staff organization
Japan was not simply a traditional Asian army with modern weapons.
It was a modern industrial military force.
The Japanese Army crossed into Manchuria and began advancing against Russian positions.
The Battle of the Yalu River
The Battle of the Yalu River in April–May 1904 was an important Japanese victory.
The Japanese Army defeated Russian forces near the border between Korea and Manchuria.
The battle demonstrated that Japan was capable of defeating Russian forces in a major conventional engagement.
This was significant because many European observers had assumed that Russia's larger population and military resources would give it an overwhelming advantage.
The Japanese victory showed that modern military organization, training, leadership, and preparation could overcome a substantial numerical disadvantage.
The battle also opened the way for further Japanese advances into Manchuria.
The Siege of Port Arthur
The Japanese Army began a major campaign against Port Arthur.
The fortress was heavily defended.
The Japanese needed to capture it because the Russian naval base threatened Japanese operations.
The siege became one of the bloodiest campaigns of the war.
Japanese troops faced:
- Fortifications
- Machine guns
- Barbed wire
- Artillery
- Trenches
- Heavy defensive fire
The Japanese repeatedly attacked Russian defensive positions.
The fighting demonstrated the increasing power of modern defensive technology.
Machine guns and artillery could inflict terrible casualties on attacking infantry.
This was one of the clearest previews of the trench warfare that would dominate the First World War.
The Japanese eventually captured Port Arthur after a prolonged siege.
The fall of the fortress was a major strategic and psychological defeat for Russia.
The Russian Pacific Squadron had already been severely weakened.
The loss of Port Arthur removed one of Russia's most important military bases in the region.
The Battle of Liaoyang
The Japanese Army continued its advance in Manchuria.
The Battle of Liaoyang in August and September 1904 was one of the largest battles of the war.
The Russian forces withdrew after intense fighting.
The battle demonstrated several features that would become familiar during the First World War:
- Entrenchments
- Heavy artillery
- Machine guns
- Large armies
- Rail-based logistics
- Attempts to outflank defensive positions
The Japanese won the battle, but they suffered significant casualties.
The Russians were not destroyed.
They were able to withdraw and continue fighting.
This would become a pattern.
Japan repeatedly defeated Russian forces tactically.
But the Russian army could often retreat deeper into Manchuria and continue the war.
The Battle of the Sha River
The two armies continued to fight in Manchuria.
The Battle of the Sha River in the autumn of 1904 was another major confrontation.
The battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.
The Russian forces were again unable to achieve a decisive victory.
The war was increasingly becoming a conflict of attrition.
This was dangerous for Japan.
Japan had a much smaller population and economy than Russia.
Japan could win battles and still lose the war if its resources were exhausted.
The Russian government, on the other hand, believed that time was on its side.
More troops could be transported eastward.
The Trans-Siberian Railway was gradually improving.
The Russian army could potentially become stronger as reinforcements arrived.
Japan therefore needed a decisive victory.
The Battle of Mukden
The Battle of Mukden, fought from February to March 1905, was one of the largest land battles fought before the First World War.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers participated.
The battle extended across a vast front.
The Japanese launched a major offensive against Russian positions.
The fighting was intense.
The Japanese eventually forced the Russian army to retreat.
The victory was significant.
However, it was not a complete destruction of Russian military power.
The Russian army remained capable of continuing the war.
The battle also demonstrated the enormous scale of modern industrial warfare.
The use of:
- Railways
- Telegraphs
- Machine guns
- Modern artillery
- Mass armies
was transforming warfare.
The Russo-Japanese War was becoming a laboratory for the future.
Military observers from many countries watched closely.
The Naval War
The war at sea was equally important.
Japan needed to control the waters around Korea and Manchuria.
Russia needed to reinforce its naval forces.
The Russian government made a dramatic decision.
It sent the Baltic Fleet on a voyage from Europe to the Far East.
This was an extraordinary undertaking.
The fleet had to travel around Africa and through the Indian Ocean before reaching the Pacific.
The journey took months.
The fleet arrived exhausted.
Its crews had been at sea for a very long time.
The ships were not operating under ideal conditions.
The Japanese Navy, in contrast, was operating close to its home bases.
The confrontation was inevitable.
The Battle of Tsushima
The decisive naval battle took place at Tsushima in May 1905.
The Japanese fleet, commanded by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, intercepted the Russian Baltic Fleet.
The result was a devastating Japanese victory.
The Russian fleet was destroyed or captured.
Only a small number of ships escaped.
The Battle of Tsushima was one of the most decisive naval victories in modern history.
Japan had destroyed a major European naval force.
The battle demonstrated the importance of:
- Naval gunnery
- Training
- Communications
- Maneuver
- Intelligence
- Concentration of force
It also demonstrated the increasing range and destructive power of modern naval artillery.
Tsushima shocked the world.
A European empire had suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of an Asian power.
The strategic balance in East Asia had changed permanently.
Why Did Russia Lose?
Russia had enormous resources.
Why did it lose?
There was no single reason.
Several factors were important.
Distance
The war was being fought thousands of kilometres from the Russian political and industrial heartland.
Moving troops and supplies to the Far East was extremely difficult.
Incomplete Infrastructure
The Trans-Siberian Railway was not yet fully capable of efficiently moving the enormous quantities of men and supplies required.
Underestimating Japan
Russian leaders frequently underestimated Japanese military capabilities.
They assumed that Japan would be reluctant to fight a major European power.
This led to poor preparation.
Japanese Preparation
Japan had been preparing for a conflict with Russia for years.
Its military was organized around the possibility of war in East Asia.
Naval Defeat
The destruction of the Russian fleet at Tsushima was devastating.
Russia could no longer easily challenge Japanese control of the seas.
Political Problems
The Russian Empire was experiencing growing social and political unrest.
The war intensified these problems.
The Russian government was fighting both an external war and an internal crisis.
The Treaty of Portsmouth
The United States played an important diplomatic role.
President Theodore Roosevelt helped mediate peace negotiations.
The negotiations took place at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The resulting Treaty of Portsmouth was signed in September 1905.
The major terms included:
- Russia recognized Japan's predominant position in Korea.
- Russia transferred its lease of Port Arthur and related rights to Japan.
- Japan gained control of the southern portion of Sakhalin Island.
- Russia recognized Japanese interests in southern Manchuria.
However, Japan did not receive the financial indemnity that many Japanese expected.
This caused widespread anger in Japan.
Many Japanese citizens believed that Japan had won the war and should have received greater compensation.
The peace settlement was therefore controversial in both countries.
The treaty ended the war, but it did not eliminate tensions in East Asia.
The Impact on Japan
Japan emerged from the war as a major world power.
The victory had enormous symbolic importance.
Japan had demonstrated that an Asian nation could:
- Modernize
- Build an industrial economy
- Create a modern military
- Defeat a major European empire
This was a profound moment in world history.
For many people living under European colonial rule, Japan's victory was inspirational.
It demonstrated that European imperial power was not invincible.
However, the victory also reinforced Japanese imperialism.
Japan had gained:
- Influence over Korea
- Control of Port Arthur
- Control of the South Manchurian Railway
- Southern Sakhalin
Japan increasingly viewed itself as the dominant power in East Asia.
Korea became a Japanese protectorate in 1905 and was formally annexed by Japan in 1910.
The victory therefore contributed to the growth of Japanese imperial expansion.
The war was both an anti-colonial inspiration and an imperial victory.
This apparent contradiction would become increasingly important during the twentieth century.
The Impact on Russia
The defeat was a disaster for the Russian Empire.
Russia had been defeated by a country that many Europeans had considered a secondary power.
The defeat damaged the prestige of the monarchy.
The government had promised imperial strength.
Instead, it had suffered:
- Military defeat
- Naval disaster
- Economic pressure
- Social unrest
The war helped trigger the Russian Revolution of 1905.
The revolution included:
- Strikes
- Demonstrations
- Mutinies
- Peasant unrest
- Political protests
The most famous event was Bloody Sunday in January 1905, when troops fired on demonstrators in St. Petersburg.
The war did not single-handedly cause the revolution.
Russia had deep political and social problems before the war.
But military defeat intensified the crisis.
The government was forced to make political concessions, including the creation of the Duma.
The 1905 Revolution was eventually suppressed, but the underlying problems remained.
The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War had demonstrated the vulnerability of the Russian political system.
The revolution of 1917 would eventually destroy the Romanov monarchy.
The 1905 crisis was therefore an important precursor to the Russian Revolution.
The Impact on China
The war was fought largely on Chinese territory.
China had been weakened by the nineteenth century.
The Russo-Japanese War demonstrated that China had lost effective control over parts of its own territory.
This was humiliating.
Japan and Russia were fighting over Manchuria, but the Chinese government had limited ability to control events.
The war contributed to the broader crisis of the Qing dynasty.
The Qing government was already facing:
- Foreign imperialism
- Internal rebellion
- Economic problems
- Political reform movements
The defeat of Russia by Japan also created a complicated reaction.
On one hand, Japan's victory demonstrated that an Asian nation could defeat a European empire.
On the other, Japan itself was becoming an imperial power.
Chinese nationalists increasingly viewed Japanese expansion with suspicion.
These tensions would eventually contribute to the conflicts between China and Japan during the twentieth century.
The Impact on Korea
Korea suffered enormously from the conflict.
The war was fought partly over the future of Korea.
Japan emerged victorious.
Russia was forced to recognize Japanese predominance in Korea.
In 1905, Korea became a Japanese protectorate.
In 1910, Japan formally annexed Korea.
The Russo-Japanese War therefore had a direct and devastating impact on Korean sovereignty.
Korea became part of the Japanese Empire for the next thirty-five years.
The consequences of this period continued to shape East Asian politics long after the end of Japanese colonial rule.
Why Was the War Important for the First World War?
The Russo-Japanese War was a preview of many aspects of the First World War.
Military observers from around the world watched the conflict.
They saw:
- Machine guns causing heavy casualties
- Artillery dominating battlefields
- Entrenchments becoming increasingly important
- Barbed wire protecting defensive positions
- Mass armies requiring industrial logistics
- Railways determining strategic mobility
- Modern naval artillery deciding major battles
The siege of Port Arthur particularly demonstrated the destructive power of modern defensive technology.
Attackers repeatedly found themselves exposed to machine guns and artillery.
This foreshadowed the trench warfare of 1914–1918.
The war also demonstrated the growing importance of industrial production.
Modern war required enormous quantities of:
- Ammunition
- Rifles
- Artillery shells
- Food
- Uniforms
- Replacement equipment
The countries that could sustain industrial warfare possessed enormous advantages.
Many military observers recognized these lessons.
However, military institutions did not always interpret them correctly.
Some observers concluded that offensive spirit and morale would overcome defensive firepower.
Others believed that improved artillery and planning would allow armies to break through.
The First World War would demonstrate how difficult it was to translate the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War into effective doctrine.
The Naval Lessons
The Battle of Tsushima had an enormous impact on naval thinking.
The Japanese victory demonstrated the importance of:
- Long-range gunnery
- Fleet concentration
- Training
- Communications
- Fire control
- High speed
Naval powers around the world studied the battle carefully.
The battle contributed to debates about the future of battleships.
The development of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906 was part of a broader technological and strategic transformation in naval warfare.
The Russo-Japanese War demonstrated that modern fleets could fight at long ranges.
The battleship remained central to naval strategy.
The conflict also highlighted the importance of bases and logistics.
A fleet operating thousands of kilometres from home faced enormous challenges.
The Russian Baltic Fleet's journey to the Far East demonstrated the difficulties of global naval operations before the age of modern aircraft carriers and long-range logistical systems.
The Impact on Military Theory
The Russo-Japanese War became a subject of intense study.
Military observers from:
- Britain
- Germany
- France
- The United States
- Other countries
visited the region or examined reports from the conflict.
They studied:
- Infantry tactics
- Artillery
- Fortifications
- Naval operations
- Logistics
- Communications
The war appeared to confirm that modern technology had transformed warfare.
Yet the lessons were not always understood correctly.
The conflict had produced both offensive victories and defensive stalemates.
The Japanese had successfully attacked Russian positions.
But they had suffered enormous casualties.
The Russian defenders at Port Arthur had demonstrated how powerful fortifications could be.
The result was a contradiction.
The war showed that modern weapons made defense extremely powerful.
But military leaders continued to believe that aggressive offensive action could produce decisive results.
This tension would be one of the defining problems of the First World War.
The War's Influence on Future Japanese Conflicts
The Russo-Japanese War also influenced Japan's future military development.
The victory reinforced several beliefs.
Japan increasingly believed that:
- Military strength was essential to national survival.
- Expansion was necessary for economic security.
- Japan had a special role in East Asia.
- A strong military could overcome larger enemies through preparation and morale.
The victory also encouraged further expansion.
Japan's control over Korea and southern Manchuria expanded.
In 1931, Japanese military officers used the Mukden Incident as a pretext for expanding Japanese control over Manchuria.
The creation of Manchukuo followed.
Japan's conflict with China expanded into full-scale war in 1937.
Eventually, Japan went to war against the United States and other Allied powers in 1941.
The Russo-Japanese War did not directly cause the Second World War in Asia.
But it helped establish the imperial and strategic framework within which later Japanese expansion took place.
The War's Impact on Anti-Colonial Movements
Perhaps one of the most important global consequences was psychological.
For centuries, European empires had dominated much of the world.
European military power was widely regarded as overwhelming.
Japan's victory challenged this assumption.
The defeat of Russia inspired nationalist movements across Asia and beyond.
The victory was closely watched by:
- Chinese nationalists
- Indian nationalists
- Ottoman reformers
- Egyptian nationalists
- Other anti-colonial movements
The message was powerful:
A non-European country could modernize and defeat a European empire.
Japan's example demonstrated that military modernization could challenge imperial domination.
However, Japan itself became an imperial power.
This made its example complicated.
Japan was both:
- A symbol of resistance to European imperialism
- An imperial power imposing its own rule on neighboring peoples
This contradiction became increasingly important as Japanese expansion continued.
The Russo-Japanese War and the United States
The war also affected American foreign policy.
The United States had growing interests in the Pacific.
The United States had acquired:
- Hawaii
- The Philippines
- Guam
It was increasingly involved in East Asian affairs.
The rise of Japan created a new strategic reality.
The United States now had to consider Japan as a major Pacific power.
The Treaty of Portsmouth enhanced Theodore Roosevelt's international reputation.
Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his role in negotiating the settlement.
But American-Japanese relations gradually became more complicated.
The United States and Japan would eventually become major rivals in the Pacific.
The Russo-Japanese War was an important step in the emergence of the Pacific as a central region of global geopolitics.
The War as a Turning Point in World History
The Russo-Japanese War was significant for several reasons.
It was:
The First Major Modern War in Asia
The conflict involved industrial armies, modern navies, railways, telegraphs, machine guns, and heavy artillery.
The First Modern Defeat of a European Great Power by an Asian Power
Japan's victory shattered assumptions about European military superiority.
A Preview of the First World War
The war demonstrated the destructive power of modern weapons and industrial logistics.
A Catalyst for the Russian Revolution of 1905
The defeat weakened the prestige of the Romanov government.
A Major Step in Japanese Imperial Expansion
Japan emerged as the dominant power in Korea and southern Manchuria.
A Turning Point in Global Politics
The balance of power in Asia shifted dramatically.
Conclusion
The Russo-Japanese War began as a struggle between two expanding empires.
Russia was an enormous European empire expanding toward the Pacific.
Japan was a rapidly modernizing nation that had transformed itself into a major industrial and military power.
Their interests collided over Korea and Manchuria.
Japan decided that Russia's expansion had become too dangerous to tolerate.
The war began with the Japanese attack on Port Arthur in 1904.
Japan then defeated Russian forces in a series of major battles, including:
- The Yalu River
- Liaoyang
- The Sha River
- Port Arthur
- Mukden
The decisive moment came at sea.
At Tsushima, the Japanese Navy destroyed the Russian Baltic Fleet.
The defeat forced Russia to negotiate.
The Treaty of Portsmouth recognized Japan's dominant position in Korea and transferred important Russian interests in southern Manchuria to Japan.
The consequences were enormous.
Japan became a major world power.
Russia suffered a humiliating defeat that helped trigger the Revolution of 1905.
Korea lost its independence.
China's weakness was further exposed.
Military observers around the world studied the conflict as a preview of modern industrial warfare.
The Russo-Japanese War showed that the old assumptions about European military superiority were no longer reliable.
It also demonstrated the terrifying power of modern weapons.
The war's most important legacy may be found in its contradictions.
It inspired anti-colonial movements by showing that an Asian nation could defeat a European empire.
But the victor itself became an imperial power.
It demonstrated the power of modern technology but also revealed how devastating that technology could be.
It weakened the Russian Empire but helped create a crisis that would eventually lead to revolution.
And it established Japan as a major power whose ambitions would shape the history of East Asia for the next half-century.
The Russo-Japanese War was therefore not simply a war between Russia and Japan.
It was one of the events that announced the arrival of the modern world.
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