This is my first TL so please have mercy if there are faults
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Chapter One: The Japanese-Korean War
Saigō Takamori
In late October 1873, an assassin snuck into the modest apartment of the samurai Saigō Takamori in Pusan, Korea. The assassin attempted to stab the Japanese envoy to death in his sleep, but Saigō awoke before such an operation could take place and cut the imposter down with his katana. Saigō Takamori was one of the leading politicians of Japan’s new Meiji regime and had been sent by the government to Korea, purportedly to establish diplomatic relations with the kingdom. The Japanese proposals for co-operation were turned down, but this was expected, and it was not the true purpose of Saigō’s delegation. In fact, an attempted assassination attempt on Saigō Takamori was supposed to happen. The Japanese could use the incident as a casus belli against the Koreans for the future Japanese-Korean War. Things had worked out perfectly. Not only had Saigō Takamori been targeted by an assassin, but he had also survived the attempt on his life. That outcome had never been assured.
There were three main reasons why the Japanese government, or at least a significant part of it, sought war with Korea. Firstly, there was still an issue of unity in the country. Although the samurai era domains, or han, had officially been abolished and replaced with prefectures 2 years ago, domain rivalries and other forms of regionalism were nevertheless flourishing. A war could encourage patriotism and force the Japanese to unite under the Imperial flag in order to defeat the foreigners. Secondly, the obsolete samurai class, which represented around 5% of the population had nothing to do and were on the verge of open rebellion. Fighting as soldiers of Japan could occupy them and increase their loyalty to the new establishment. Thirdly and finally, a war with Korea could aid the country’s modernization. In the words of Kido Takayoshi, a fervent advocate of the war:
“We shall make advances in developing all sorts of practical skills and technology [through the war with Korea.]”
The Meiji government’s goal of war with Korea was quickly achieved. The Emperor immediately recalled Saigō Takamori from Korea and after some hasty preparations, Japan declared war on Korea on the 20th of November 1873.
The start of the war provoked mixed reactions across the world. The Americans and British found the event rather rude of Japan but dismissed the possibility of a true imperialist rival in the Asian nation and instead saw only the profits that could be made from helping to modernize and advise the Japanese armed forces. The French were generally positive towards the war because of the murder of French missionaries in Korea back in 1866. The Chinese were appalled at the attack on their ally but conflict with the Europeans prevented them from intervening. The Koreans themselves were outraged but hopeful they could withstand the Japanese, knowing of Japan’s instability.
Notes
In our timeline, Saigō Takamori was prematurely recalled from Korea because Iwakura Tomomi, because the absent Meiji leadership with the Iwakura Mission opposed the war. However, in this timeline the Iwakura Mission grudgingly agreed to the war.
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