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Early 20th Century Japanese Wars Essay

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Early 20th Century Japanese Wars From the beginning of the 20th century to the start of their participation in World War II, Japan was involved in 6 major wars and invasions, including the Russo-Japanese War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Each of these wars were responsible for placing the Japanese people in a wartime mindset, thus affecting their views on violence during war. The Russo-Japanese War lasted from February 1904 to September 1905 and was fought over differing views about which country should control Manchuria and Korea. The war was instigated by the territorial issues that were resolved by military means. At the time, Japan’s fighting force was roughly half the size of the Russian army, but despite this limiting factor, the Japanese were able to defeat the Russians. This defeat shocked many around the world and completely shifted the power structure in East Asia, giving Japan more power and status world-wide. While Japan’s military capacity was dramatically smaller than Russia’s, the Japanese victory over the Russians illustrated the exemplary military strategy the Japanese utilized. It further illustrated to the people that the strategies that the military used here are effective and that they should be supported because of their success. This support was vital because it showed the people that they should support the military’s methods in the future, especially in later wars such as World War II. The faith that was entrusted to the military during this

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