AHC: Japan incorporates Sahkalin before the Russians

How can Japan take colonize Sahkalin before the Russians and incorporate it into their territory so that it's regarded as a Japanese Home Island on the same level as Honshu?
 
They'd have to pacify Hokkaido faster. And that isn't exactly easy considering when it was done. And then they'd have to move on to Sahkalin shortly afterward.
 
Pacifying Hokkaido is a stretch, and I don't see the point in the AHC at least in practicality. Hokkaido was basically colonized by one clan during the Sengoku Jidai, this was the Kakizaki later Matsumae. They basically had a government sanction for trade with the Ainu and later colonization. Anything else would require government intervention for what might as well be worthless rocks.
 
Does Sakhalin have any resources on it? Maybe someone finds those resources on it? Or are there only modern-day resources?
 
Oil was not a resource until late 1800s/early 1900s. The question is could Japan have claimed Sakhalin before Russia - IMO yes because it was much closer to Japan than "Russia" excluding Siberia. Sure there might not have been much population there, but it still could have been claimed.
 
Oil was not a resource until late 1800s/early 1900s. The question is could Japan have claimed Sakhalin before Russia - IMO yes because it was much closer to Japan than "Russia" excluding Siberia. Sure there might not have been much population there, but it still could have been claimed.

It's possible but as always with these things you need to analyse why they didn't do it when it was possible.

OTL the Russians were in Sakhalin far ahead of Japan. Japan was just settling Hokkaido in the early 1800s.
 
Top