The Motivation and Goals of Japanese Imperialism

The 1880s brought on a torrent of colonization and imperialism throughout the world by Western nations. Africa was targeted by Britain, France, and even Germany. Vietnam fell under French colonial control, and even the once Asian powerhouse China was being pulled in all directions by European nations. All the while, the U.S worked to secure island nations in the Pacific and gain a foothold in the heavily colonized China. All around Japan the world was again changing. At Japan's feet now lay the choice of joining the race for territory, or expending their energy internally only. Ultimately, the Japanese wouldn't see imperialism as a choice.

Western advancement and aggression in the West pushed the Japanese to rethink their relationships with both neighboring Asian nations and with the West. Japanese leaders, who once viewed the world as a benign and unthreatening place, a place where nations learned from each other, soon changed their minds in the face of the very real and apparent Social Darwinism. They determined that only by joining in on imperialism could they remain a rival to the West; that a military needs to be prepared and ready for use at all times, and that surrounding Asian nations had to be compelled to change in order to protect the interests and reputation of Japan.

The latter statement can be broken down into two separate reasons. Since Japan's ultimate goal in modernization was to shake the unequal treaties that gripped the country, it wanted nothing to stand in the way. Russian and British aggression in the Korean peninsula threatened Japan's independence as it would give both Western nations a large and advantageous foothold in Asia. If Japan ever wanted to rival the West and shake the chains of the unequal treaties, it had to not only protect its sovereignty, but also defend its current advantages within the Orient.

Similarly, Japan's reputation was suffering as a result of Chinese and Korean association. Although Japan remained as the most advanced nation in Asia, it still suffered a sort of "guilt by association." Western nations still held biased and somewhat racist views of both China and Korea. They viewed them as backward and uncivilized. Because of these skewed views, Japan was commonly lumped in with their Asian neighbors. This brought on a very strong need for imperialism as Japan needed to make its neighbors change their ways and reform their reputation if Japan's image in the West was going to change. Influential Japanese such as Fukuzawa Yakichi noted that Japan should be willing and ready to compel their neighbors into acquisition in order to protect the Japanese reputation.

While Japan was undoubtedly a modernized nation, they still had something to prove. The proof would have to come in the form of imperialism. Imperialization seemed the only way maintain the level of independence gained, protect Japan's sovereignty, and shake the chains of the unequal treaties that bound Japan tightly. Additionally, Japan desperately needed to protect its reputation against the skewed views the West was taking with Asia. Imperialism was the answer.