The Russo-Japanese War: The Emergence of Japanese Imperial Power

Authors

  • William R. Sprance Associate Deputy General Counsel with the Department of Defense

Abstract

The Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) was a brief yet bloody conflict that featured large land battles and great engagements between fleets of ironclad ships. At war’s end, Japan emerged a victorious imperial power, while Russia was defeated and on the precipice of revolution. Julian Corbett and Alfred Mahan both wrote about the War, with the former offering Japan as the example of how an insular maritime power could fight a limited war to defeat a much larger enemy and the latter writing how the war showed the primary purpose of navies to be military, and not commerce protection as he had written earlier. Using a very well-matched strategy and policy, Japan won an unexpected victory that established it as the dominant power in Asia and influenced naval strategy for years to come.

Author Biography

William R. Sprance, Associate Deputy General Counsel with the Department of Defense

Mr. Sprance is an Associate Deputy General Counsel with the Department of Defense, Office of the General Counsel and a Commander (JAG Corps) in the U.S. Naval Reserve, where he advises the Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy and Operations) on international and operational law issues. He received his B.A. in history from Vassar College; his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law and his LL.M in international law from the Georgetown University Law Center. He is currently a Masters Degree candidate in National Security Studies with the United States Naval War College. He lives in Virginia with his wife and three daughters, to whom he dedicates this article, and is a member of Alexandria Bible Church.

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2004): Spring 2004

Section

Articles