Born Soldiers Who March Under the Rising Sun: The Russo-Japanese War, Britain’s Military Observers, and British Impressions Regarding Japanese Martial Capabilities Prior to the First World War

Abstract

This thesis explores how Japan’s military triumphs during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-’05 influenced British opinions regarding the ability of the Japanese military as well as the decision to strengthen the military dimensions of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in the spring and summer of 1905. Utilizing reports and assessment from British Army and Royal Navy observers to the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy it is shown how these men, and by extension their superiors in London and New Delhi, were given a new appreciation for the potential role played by Japanese soldiers and sailors should a subsequent conflict have erupted between the Russian Empire and the Anglo-Japanese coalition in the years leading up to the outbreak of the First World War.