일본정부와 청일전쟁 개전 과정

Japanese Government and the Outbreak Process of the Sino-Japanese War - the Intervention of the Western Powers and the Opposition Strategy of Japanese Government -

Japanese government decided to plunge into the Sino-Japanese War at the Cabinet conference held on June 21st and 22nd, 1894. However, Japanese government could not but suspend the policy pushing an early outbreak of the war because the serious intervention of Russia and England was begun. Ito Hirobumi( 伊藤博文 ) and Mutsu Munemitsu( 陸奥宗光 ) made a plan to overcome their interventions. That was the strategy that broke the will of Chinese government to attend the negotiation table with Japan and blocked the intervention of the Western Powers by raising the demand level related with the reform of Korean government. Russia demanded an early withdrawal of Japanese troops, but Japanese government rejected it firmly. Japanese government had an optimistic view that England and Russia would hold each other in check. On the other hand, Japanese government assumed a stance of moderation as if it accepted the intervention of England. Because Japanese government thought that England would not agree to a new Japan-England treaty, if it did not accept that intervention. Japanese government putting emphasis on diplomatic negotiations pushed a passive war. However, Otori Keisuke( 大鳥圭介 ) insisted that an early armed provocation against China was needed to exclude the intervention of the Western Powers. Meanwhile, Otori carried out the strategy of Japanese government by compelling Korean government to accept a proposal about the reform of Korean domestic politics and by drawing up a decisive measure( 乙案 ) to prepare for its rejection. However, the conflicts between Japanese government and Otori were solved after about July 10th. The intervention of Russia was weakened. And there was no room for the intervention of England because of Chinese very firm attitude demanding an early withdrawal of Japanese troops. As a situation was changed, Japanese government hastened the Sino-Japanese War. Japanese government sent a diplomatic note of breaking off its relationship with China and came back to an active war policy. Though the intervention of the Western Powers resumed after that, it could not interrupt the Japanese government s step toward the Sino-Japanese War.