Decisive victory of Japan in the Russo-Japanese War

What would it look like, what borders would be changed, would Japan push to annex, or more or less return of Outer Manchuria back to Manchuria?
 
The problem is that Japan HAD a decisive victory IOTL, 2 of them in fact. Mukden ensured the defeat of the Russian Army and Tsushima destroyed Russia's naval capability.

It didn't help. Other powers mediated the peace treaty who had a vested interest in not giving Japan anything more than they absolutely had to.
 

raharris1973

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Nope. outside powers did not deny Japan anything it was positioned to win with its Iown resources. at worst the American mediators and British allies simplify refused to lend money to Japan to help it win an indemnity or more territory from Russia.
 
Best case for Japan is that they get all of Sakhalin. Other than that there isn't much more they can get. They were haemorrhaging money and their logistics were getting stretched to the limit as it was.
 

raharris1973

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While I believe Japan was not "cheated", and was hitting its limits by the end of the war, and the Russia could have easily done better against Japan, I believe there is at least one respect Japan could have done better. Japan, if it had superior operational planning, execution and generalship, could have achieved its OTL gains more quickly, efficiently and at less cost. A *potential* knock-on of this could have been to give them running room to keep going for further campaigns and demands for indemnities, Manchuria, Sakhalin or the maritime provinces.
 
Japan didn't have any really decisive victories Tsushima is decisive in the negative- it protects Japan from Russia but doesn't defeat Russia. Mukden is an indecisive battle. The Russians fall back in good order and can fight another day. By September the Russian army is advocating resuming the war

Japan is pushed to the limits and still can't win. Vladivostok is safe from Japan. Its defenses were stronger than Port Arthur, there was no nearby port such as Dalni to resupply a siege and the weather would force a retreat every winter. The Japanese never have anywhere near that might

Japan can no more decisively defeat Russia as she can the US in World War II The most the Japanese can hope to do is punish the Russians to the point that they look elsewhere
 
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