3. Kato Takaaki And The Russo-Japanese War

Abstract

This chapter examines Katō's activities from before the Anglo-Japanese Alliance until after the Russo-Japanese War. Tensions between Japan and Russia rose significantly after the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 when Russian troops continued their occupation of Manchuria. The man who was responsible for settling the diplomatic aftermath was Katō Takaaki. The primary feature of Katō's diplomacy was to promote the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by distancing himself from the Army. Kato, in fact, had nurtured fears about the Army's rise in prominence ever since the Sino-Japanese War. Katō had a quite balanced outlook on diplomatic affairs founded on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, but he was critical of the public's response to this alliance and the outbreak of war. Before the fighting started he can be seen as having a keen understanding of the issues surrounding Japanese diplomacy, but later as peace approached he changed to voicing a hard line. Keywords: Anglo-Japanese alliance; Boxer Rebellion; Japanese diplomacy; Katō Takaaki; Portsmouth Peace Conference; Russo-Japanese war