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Japan during the First World War. Japan in World War I

Before the war

Despite strong economic (including in the military sphere) and political ties with Germany, the Empire of Japan decided to take the side of the Entente in the impending world war. The reasons for such a step by Japan are obvious: the policy of expansion to the continent, the vivid manifestations of which were the Japanese-Chinese and Russian-Japanese wars, could only have prospects if Japan participated in the war as part of one of the two military-political groups - the Entente or the Triple Alliance. Speaking on the side of Germany, although it promised Japan maximum benefits in the event of a victory, it did not leave a chance for this victory. If the war at sea at first could be quite successful for Japan, then there could be no talk of victory in the land war, where Japan would be confronted primarily by Russia. After all, Russia's efforts would be immediately supported by the naval and land (from India, Australia, New Zealand) forces of Great Britain and France. In the case of Japan speaking out against the Entente, there was also a high probability that the United States would enter the war against Japan. Given that Japan would have to fight the war alone, going against the Entente would be suicidal. A completely different picture emerged in relation to Germany. In less than half a century, Germany colonized a number of territories in the Pacific Ocean (the islands of Yap, Samoa, the Marshall, Caroline, Solomon Islands, etc.), and also leased from China the territory of part of the Shandong Peninsula with the port and fortress of Qingdao (as regards this only fortified point of Germany on In the Pacific Ocean, the fortress of Qingdao was built to repel the attacks of Russian, French or British expeditionary forces... It was not designed for a serious fight with the Japanese army.) . Moreover, Germany did not have any significant forces in these possessions (the islands were generally protected only by the colonial police), and with the weakness of its fleet, it could not deliver troops there. And even if Germany quickly won the war in Europe (the German General Staff set aside 2-3 months for this; all this time Qingdao had to hold out), peace would most likely be concluded with Japan on the terms of restoring the pre-war status quo. As for the Entente, the Anglo-Japanese agreement of 1902 (and extended in 1911), which initially had an anti-Russian orientation, served as the basis for an alliance with it. In addition, the policy of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, aimed at concentrating the main forces of the British fleet in the Atlantic, when control in the Pacific and Indian Oceans was assigned to Japan, contributed to the Anglo-Japanese rapprochement. Of course, the union of the British and Japanese empires was not a "cordial agreement". The expansion of Japan in China greatly worried England (the British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Gray was generally against Japan's participation in the war), but in the current situation it was possible either to draw Japan into the anti-German coalition or push it into the camp of the enemy. As for Japan, the main goal of its participation in the war was the maximum advance in China, not restrained by European countries.

The war has begun

The war in China began on August 1, 1914. On the Shandong Peninsula, the German concession in Qingdao and the British concession in Weihaiwei began to strengthen strongly. Immediately after the start of the war in Europe, Japan declared neutrality, but promised to support England if she asked to help repel German attacks on Hong Kong or Weihaiwei. On August 7, 1914, London called on Japan to carry out operations to destroy armed German ships in Chinese waters. And already on August 8, Tokyo decided to enter the war on the side of Great Britain, guided by the Anglo-Japanese alliance treaty of 1911. And on August 15, Japan presented an ultimatum to Germany:

1) Immediately withdraw all warships and armed vessels from Japanese and Chinese waters, disarming those that cannot be withdrawn.

2) Transfer to the Japanese authorities no later than September 15, 1914, the entire leased territory of China without any conditions and compensation ...

If a German response was not received by 12 noon on August 23, 1914, the Japanese government reserved the right to take "appropriate measures". German diplomats left Tokyo on August 22, and on the 23rd Emperor Yoshihito declared war on Germany. Quite strange, at first, Austria-Hungary behaved - having declared its neutrality with respect to Japan, on August 24, the crew of the Austrian cruiser Kaiserin Elisabeth, stationed in Qingdao, was ordered to arrive by rail in the Chinese city of Tianjin. But on August 25, Austria declared war on Japan - 310 Austrian sailors returned to Qingdao, but 120 people remained in Tianjin.
Actions immediately followed against Germany's island possessions in the Pacific Ocean: in August - September 1914, Japanese landing forces captured the Yap, Marshall, Caroline and Mariana Islands, and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (and the Australians) occupied German bases in New Guinea, New Britain, and the Solomon Islands. islands, Apia's base in Samoa. Moreover, the British were so afraid of the raider squadron of Admiral Spee that they allocated large forces to guard the landing convoys (in particular, the battleship Australia). The squadron of Rear Admiral Tatsuo Matsumura on October 1 captured the German port of Rabaul on the island of New Britain. On October 7, she arrived on the island of Yap (Caroline Islands), where she met the German gunboat Planet. The crew hurriedly scuttled the tiny ship to keep it out of Japanese hands. The island itself was occupied by the Japanese without incident. At the end of 1914, 4 Japanese ships were in Suva harbor in Fiji, and 6 were based in Truk. By the beginning of November 1914, the only territory in the Pacific Ocean controlled by Germany was the port-fortress of Qingdao.

Siege of Qingdao

Back in August, Germany tried to transfer the leased territory to China, but due to the opposition of England and France and Chinese neutrality, this move failed.

Side forces
The governor of Qingdao and the commander of all the forces stationed there was Captain 1st Rank Meyer-Waldeck. In peacetime, under his command were 75 officers and 2250 soldiers. The fortress was thoroughly fortified: it had 2 lines of defense on the land front and 8 coastal batteries covering the fortress from the sea. The first line of defense, located 6 km from the city center, consisted of 5 forts surrounded by a wide moat with a wire fence at the bottom. The second line of defense relied on stationary artillery batteries. In total, there were up to 100 guns on the land front and 21 guns on the sea front. In addition, 39 naval guns from the Austrian cruiser Kaiserin Elisabeth, destroyers No. 90 and Taku, and gunboats Jaguar, Iltis, Tiger, Luke could provide support (most of the German fleet left Qingdao before start of the war). By calling for volunteers, Meyer-Waldeck managed to bring the garrison of the fortress to 183 officers, 4572 privates with 75 machine guns, 25 mortars and 150 guns. The enemy forces were an order of magnitude higher: to capture Qingdao, a Japanese expeditionary force was formed (reinforced 18th division - 32/35 thousand people with 40 machine guns and 144 guns) under the command of Lieutenant General Kamio Mitsuomi (chief of staff - General of Engineering Troops Hanzo Yamanashi). The siege corps landed in 4 echelons from more than fifty ships. This impressive force was joined by an English detachment from Weihaiwei under the command of General N.U. Bernard Distona - a battalion of Welsh (South Welsh) border guards and half a battalion of a Sikh infantry regiment, 1,500 in total. However, the British units did not even have machine guns. The naval grouping of the allies was also impressive: the Japanese 2nd squadron of Admiral Hiroharu Kato included 39 warships: the battleships “Suvo”, “Iwami”, “Tango”, the battleships of the coastal defense “Okinoshima”, “Mishima”, armored cruisers Iwate, Tokiwa, Yakumo, light cruisers Tone, Mogami, Oedo, Chitose, Akashi, Akitsushima, Chiyoda, Takachiho, gunboats Saga ”, “Uji”, destroyers “Sirayuki”, “Novake”, “Sirotae”, “Matsukaze”, “Ayanami”, “Asagiri”, “Isonami”, “Uranami”, “Asashio”, “Shirakumo”, “Kagero” , Murasame, Usoi, Nenohi, Wakaba, Asakaze, Yugure, Yudachi, Shiratsuyu, Mikazuki (among these ships were: 3 former Russian battleships, 2 former Russian coastal defense battleship, 7 cruisers, 16 destroyers and 14 auxiliary ships.). This squadron also included an English detachment consisting of the battleship Triumph and the destroyers Kennet and Usk (one of the destroyers was also used as a hospital ship).

The course of hostilities

Even before the approach of the Entente siege forces, clashes began in the Qingdao region. So on August 21, 5 British destroyers noticed the destroyer No. 90 leaving the port and chased after it. The fastest destroyer “Kenneth” broke forward, which at 18.10 started a firefight. Although the British ship had much more powerful armament (4 76 mm guns versus 3 50 mm guns on the German destroyer), at the very beginning of the battle she was hit under the bridge. 3 people were killed and 7 wounded, including the commander of the Kennett, who later died. Destroyer No. 90 managed to lure her enemy into the zone of fire of coastal batteries, but after their very first volleys, Kennet left the battle.
The squadron of Hiroharu Kato approached Qingdao on August 27, 1914 and blocked the port. The next day the city was bombed. On the night of August 30-31, the Japanese squadron suffered its first losses - the destroyer Shirotae ran aground near the island of Lentao. The damage was too great, and the team was removed by another destroyer. The Germans used a gift of fate. On September 4, the gunboat "Jaguar" went to sea and, under the cover of coastal batteries, finally destroyed the Japanese destroyer with artillery fire.
Landing did not begin until September 2, in Longkou Bay in neutral China, about 180 kilometers from Qingdao. The first combat contact occurred on September 11, when the Japanese cavalry regiment (Major General Yamada) collided with German patrols at Pingdu. On September 18, Japanese paratroopers captured Lao Shao Bay, northeast of Qingdao, to use it as a forward base for further operations against the fortress. A complete blockade of Qingdao by land was established on September 19, when the railway was cut. The Japanese troops entered the territory of the German possession proper only on September 25, the day before the British units joined the Japanese siege corps. The first massive attack on the German positions was carried out on September 26 and was generally successfully repulsed by the defenders of Qingdao, but the commander of the Japanese 24th Infantry Brigade, Horiutsi, managed to outflank the German positions and forced the Germans to retreat. The Japanese continued their offensive - a landing of sailors was landed near the Shatzykou Bay. Having lost 8 guns in battles, the Germans retreated to the last line of defense - the Prince Heinrich height, but on September 29 they also left it. The subsequent sortie from the fortress of Qingdao was repulsed.
The ships of the parties actively participated in the struggle: the Entente battleships repeatedly fired at the positions of the Germans (however, the results of the shelling turned out to be more than doubtful. A large percentage of the shells did not burst, almost no direct hits were recorded.). But only once the ships were hit by fire from coastal batteries. On October 14, the battleship Triumph was hit by a 240-mm projectile and was forced to leave for Weihaiwei for repairs. Intensive minesweeping cost the Japanese dearly. The minesweepers Nagato-maru No. 3, Kono-maru, Koyo-maru, Nagato-maru No. 6 blew up and sank. Seaplanes from the Wakamiya transport began to conduct reconnaissance. They also conducted the first ever successful "carrier attack" in history, sinking a German minesweeper at Qingdao. Throughout the siege, the troops constantly demanded the help of naval artillery and seaplanes.
The German ships supported their left flank with fire (the firing position was in Kiaochao Bay) until the Japanese brought up heavy guns. After that, the gunboats could not operate freely. The most striking episode in the course of operations at sea was the breakthrough of the destroyer No. 90.
In the current situation, the only real combat unit of the defenders of Qingdao was the destroyer No. 90 of Lieutenant Commander Brunner. Neither the Kaiserin Elisabeth nor the gunboats could do absolutely nothing. No. 90 was an old coal destroyer, promoted to destroyer on the occasion of the war. But still, he had some chance of conducting a successful torpedo attack. At first, it was planned to attack the Japanese ships during their shelling of coastal positions, but the command quickly came to the correct conclusion that a daytime torpedo attack by a single ship was hopeless. Therefore, by mid-October, a new plan was worked out. Lieutenant Commander Brunner was supposed to slip out of the harbor unnoticed at night and try to pass the first line of patrols unnoticed. There was no point in contacting enemy destroyers. He was supposed to attack one of the capital ships on the second or third blockade lines. After that, No. 90 should break through to the Yellow Sea and go to one of the neutral ports, for example, to Shanghai. There it was possible to try to refuel with coal in order to attack the blockade forces again, this time from the sea. On October 17 at 19.00, after dark, No. 90 left the harbor, although the excitement was quite strong. The destroyer passed between the islands of Dagundao and Landao and turned south. After 15 minutes, 3 silhouettes were seen to the right of the bow, which were moving to the intersection to the west. Brunner immediately turned to the right. Since No. 90 followed the middle course, neither the sparks from the pipes, nor the breaker gave him away. The German ship passed under the stern of a group of Japanese destroyers. Brunner managed to slip through the first line of the blockade. At 21.50 No. 90 turned west in the hope of meeting one of the capital ships. The Germans still did not increase the speed. At 11:30 p.m., Brunner turned back on her course to return to the harbor before dawn, moving under the coast from the direction of the Haysi Peninsula, unless there was an encounter with the enemy. On October 18, at 0.15, at a distance of 20 cables, a large silhouette of a ship following a counter-course was seen. No. 90 turned on a parallel course. The target was moving at a speed of no more than 10 knots. Since the enemy ship had 2 masts and 1 funnel, Brunner decided that he had met a coastal defense battleship. In fact, it was the old cruiser Takachiho, which that night you have with the gunboat Saga, was on patrol duty on the second blockade line. Brunner turned a little to the south, gave full speed and fired 3 torpedoes at a distance of 3 cables with an interval of 10 seconds. The first of them hit the bow of the cruiser, the second and third - in the middle. The Japanese were taken by surprise. There was a terrible explosion that literally tore the cruiser to pieces. 271 people were killed, including the commander of the ship. No. 90 turned south. Although "Takachiho" did not have time to report on the radio about the attack, there was a huge column of flame and ideas were very far away. Brunner had no doubt that the Japanese would give chase and did not attempt to break back into Qingdao. He set a course to the southwest, at about 2.30 parted ways with the Japanese cruiser, hastening to the north. Early in the morning, the destroyer threw herself on the rocks near Tower Cape, about 60 miles from Qingdao. Brunner solemnly lowered the flag, after which the team landed on the shore and moved on foot in the direction of Nanjing, where they were interned by the Chinese.
The siege of Qingdao was carried out slowly and methodically: siege artillery destroyed the fortifications, separate detachments and reconnaissance battalions broke through between the German positions. Before the decisive assault, a 7-day artillery preparation was carried out, which especially intensified from November 4th. 43,500 shells were fired, including 800 shells of 280 mm caliber. On November 6, the Japanese broke through the moat at the central group of forts, the Japanese assault detachments went to the rear of the German fortifications on Mount Bismarck and west of Mount Iltis. Everything was ready for the decisive assault, but at 5.15 am on November 8, the commandant, governor Meyer-Waldeck, gave the order to stop the resistance. The last to surrender at 7.20 am were the defenders of the fort on Mount Iltis.

The entry into the war of 1914 was connected by the Japanese government with the fulfillment of its allied duty. In fact, Japanese imperialism has taken advantage of the conflict between the two imperialist factions, aiming to carry out territorial seizures in China.

By the time the aggravation of Anglo-German relations had reached its highest point, the allied relations between England and Japan had been largely undermined. The main reason for the aggravation of relations was the policy of the powers in China. Japan tried to undermine the still strong positions of the British, actively penetrating into the "cradle" of British capital - into the basin of the river. Yangtze, successfully competing in trade in other areas. This was convincingly evidenced by the statistics of the English Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. At the same time, Japan did not dare to break allied relations with England and take the side of Germany, with which government, especially military, circles had close ties. At the beginning of August 1914, the Japanese government informed the powers that it was ready to fulfill its allied duty if England entered the war. The Western powers understood that Japan could use their preoccupation with military operations in the West, having "a free hand in China. The obviousness of aggressive actions on the part of Japan was also foreseen by the Chinese government, which turned to the United States with a request to limit the war to Europe and not to conduct military operations in the Far East. On August 23, 1914, Japan declared war on Germany (and even the day before, the entire Japanese press was filled with unbridled anti-British propaganda and benevolent information about Germany). The military actions of the Japanese were limited to the capture of the small Qingdao territory leased by Germany in Shandong. Japan lost 2,000 killed and wounded in the war. In January 1915, the Japanese government, taking advantage of the favorable international situation for it, presented China with "21 demands" - a program of political, economic and military subjugation of China. The 21 Demands consisted of five groups. The first group of demands related to the Shandong province. It provided for the recognition by China of all agreements that could be concluded between Germany and Japan regarding Shandong, and the non-alienation of parts of the province's territory. It also provided for the transfer to Japan of the right to build railways, the opening for Japan of the main cities and ports. The second group concerned South Manchuria and the eastern part of Inner Mongolia. Japan demanded an extension of the lease of Port Arthur and Dairen, the South Manchurian and Andong-Mukden railways to 99 years, granting the Japanese the right to acquire and lease land, the right to reside, move and engage in any type of activity in this territory, inviting the Japanese as advisers on political, financial or military issues, as well as the granting of the Jilin-Chanchun railway to Japan for 99 years. A third group proposed turning the Hanyepe Industrial Combine into a joint Japanese-Chinese enterprise, which united mines and ironworks. The fourth group prohibited China from alienating and leasing harbors, bays and islands along the Chinese coast. The fifth group called for the invitation of the Japanese as advisers to the central government on political, financial and military matters, the recognition of land ownership in China for Japanese temples, hospitals and schools, the establishment of a Japanese-Chinese police force, the construction of Japanese-Chinese military factories, and the use of Japanese aid by engineers and materials, granting Japan rights to build railways, consultations with Japan in the case of building railways, mines and ports in Fujian Province, granting the Japanese the right to religious propaganda in China.

The 21 Demands did significant damage to the positions of Japan's imperialist rivals in China. However, neither England, whose interests in the river basin. The Yangtze was directly affected by the third group of demands, and the US did not go beyond formal protests, believing that Japan's financial weakness would not allow it to implement a grandiose program of economic and political subjugation of China. China could not offer armed resistance to Japan. The "21 Demands" (with the exception of the fifth group of demands, which aroused the indignation even of the Western powers) were accepted by the Chinese government and became the basis for a broad program of colonial plunder of that country by Japanese imperialism.

Japan's participation in this war had its own specifics.

In Japan, the army command had more weight than the navy. These two types of armed forces looked at the Anglo-German war from directly opposite points of view. The Japanese army was built on the Prussian model and trained by German officers; The Japanese fleet was created with the help of Great Britain and trained in the English manner. All this served as a source of constant disputes in the Japanese leadership. At the same time, the average Japanese did not understand at all why it was necessary to fight: in Japan, no one felt any threat from Germany. Therefore, the Japanese government, while supporting the Entente, tried not to give the public too much information about the war. British officer Malcolm Kennedy, who visited the Japanese hinterland, was amazed that the peasants with whom he spoke did not even suspect that their country was at war.

Prerequisites for Japan's entry into the war

Campaign of 1914

Preparations for the operation against the German naval base of Qingdao began on August 16, when an order was issued in Japan to mobilize the 18th Infantry Division. From the moment the Japanese ultimatum was issued, the Japanese population began to secretly leave Qingdao, and by August 22, not a single Japanese remained there.

In accordance with an agreement between the representatives of England, France and Japan, the Japanese fleet was responsible for security in the zone north of Shanghai. Therefore, by August 26, the following deployment of the Japanese fleet was established:

1) 1st Japanese squadron - cruising in the water area north of Shanghai to protect sea lanes;

2) 2nd squadron - direct action against Qingdao;

3) 3rd squadron (of 7 cruisers) - securing the area between Shanghai and Hong Kong;

4) the cruisers "Ibuki" and "Tikuma" as part of the squadron of the English Admiral Jerama are participating in the search for German ships of the squadron of Admiral Spee in Oceania.

Japanese aircraft "Wakamiya"

The operation against Qingdao was carried out mainly by Japanese forces with the symbolic participation of an English battalion. On September 2, Japanese troops began landing on the Shandong Peninsula in neutral China; On September 22, an English detachment arrived from Weihaiwei; On September 27, an offensive began on the advanced German positions near Qingdao; On October 17, an important point was taken - Mount "Prince Henry", an observation post was established on it, and siege weapons were demanded from Japan. By October 31, everything was ready for a general attack and bombardment of the forts. The bombardment began on November 5, but for the first three days the weather did not allow the fleet to take part in it. Having previously flooded all the ships, the Germans capitulated on November 7th. During the siege of Qingdao, the Japanese used carrier-based aircraft against ground targets for the first time in history: seaplanes based on the Wakamiya aircraft bomber bombed targets in Qingdao.

Campaign of 1915

Since the war in the European theater took on a protracted character, in fact, Japan received complete freedom of action in the Far East, and took full advantage of it. In January 1915, Japan handed over to Chinese President Yuan Shikai the document that went down in history as " Twenty-One Demands". Japanese-Chinese negotiations took place from early February to mid-April 1915. China was unable to offer effective resistance to Japan, and the Twenty-One Demands (with the exception of the fifth group, which aroused the open indignation of the Western powers) was accepted by the Chinese government.

In February 1915, when an Indian mutiny broke out in Singapore, the landing of the Japanese marines, landed from the cruisers Tsushima and Otova, suppressed it together with British, French and Russian troops.

In the same year, the Japanese fleet provided great assistance in the hunt for the German cruiser Dresden. He also guarded the American-owned port of Manila so that German ships could not use it. Throughout the year, Japanese ships based in Singapore patrolled the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea, and off the coast of the Dutch East Indies.

Campaign of 1916

In February 1916, Britain again asked for help from Japan. After the death of several ships on mines laid by German auxiliary cruisers, it was necessary to increase the number of ships hunting for these raiders. The Japanese government sent a destroyer flotilla to Singapore to guard the all-important Strait of Malacca. A cruiser division was assigned to patrol the Indian Ocean. In several cases, Japanese ships went to the island of Mauritius and to the shores of South Africa. The most powerful and modern light cruisers "Tikuma" and "Hirado" escorted military convoys from Australia and New Zealand.

In December 1916, Britain purchased 6 merchant ships from Japan with a capacity of 77,500 GRT.

Campaign of 1917

In January 1917, Japan, taking advantage of the tense situation on the fronts in Europe, demanded from Great Britain formal obligations to transfer to it the rights to the former German leased possessions in Shandong at a peace post-war conference. In response to the objections of the British, the Japanese declared that they were asking for no more than the Russians, who were promised Constantinople. After long discussions, in mid-February, the Japanese government received from the UK, and then from France and Russia, the corresponding secret obligations. This agreement between Japan and the countries of the Entente was not known to the United States until the very beginning of the peace conference at Versailles.

In February 1917, the Japanese agreed to expand their participation in the war and extend the patrol area of their fleet to the Cape of Good Hope. The Japanese fleet also joined in the protection of shipping off the eastern coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

In May 1917, the British asked the Japanese to bring workers recruited in China to Europe.

In mid-1917, Admiral Jellicoe offered to purchase two battlecruisers from Japan, but the Japanese government flatly refused to sell or transfer any ships to the British.

In 1917, Japan built 12 Kaba-class destroyers for France in 5 months; Japanese sailors brought these ships to the Mediterranean Sea and handed them over to the French.

On November 2, the prominent diplomat Ishii Kikujiro signed the Lansing-Ishii Agreement with US Secretary of State R. Lansing, which allowed the Americans to transfer part of the ships to the Atlantic to help the British. Under a secret agreement, Japanese ships patrolled Hawaiian waters until the end of the war.

Japanese armored cruiser "Akashi"

On March 11, the first Japanese ships (light cruiser Akashi, as well as the 10th and 11th destroyer flotillas) set off through Aden and Port Said to the European theater of operations. They arrived in Malta at the worst time for the Allies. And although the arrival of 1 cruiser and 8 destroyers could not turn the tide in the Mediterranean, the Japanese nevertheless received the most important task - to escort troop transports that were carrying reinforcements to France. Japanese ships escorted transports from Egypt directly to France; they entered Malta only if the convoys were formed on this island. As the submarines in the Mediterranean became more and more active, two British gunboats and two destroyers were temporarily equipped with Japanese sailors; the number of the Japanese squadron in the Mediterranean reached 17 ships. On August 21, Rear Admiral George E. Ballard, who commanded the naval forces in Malta, reported to the Admiralty:

French performance standards are lower than British ones, but Italian standards are even lower. With the Japanese, things are different. Admiral Sato's destroyers are kept in perfect working order and spend as much time at sea as our ships. It is much larger than that of French and Italian ships of any class. Moreover, the Japanese are completely independent in matters of command and supply, while the French will not do anything on their own if this work can be delegated to others. The efficiency of the Japanese allows their ships to spend more time at sea than any other British ally, which increases the effect of the presence of Japanese ships in the Mediterranean.

Campaign of 1918

During the German spring offensive on the Western Front, the British needed to transfer large numbers of troops from the Middle East to Marseille. Japanese ships helped transport more than 100,000 British troops across the Mediterranean during the critical months of April and May. At the end of the crisis, Japanese ships began to ensure the transport of troops from Egypt to Thessaloniki, where the Allies were preparing an autumn offensive. Until the end of the war, the Japanese squadron led 788 Allied transports through the Mediterranean and helped transport more than 700,000 soldiers. The Japanese squadron had 34 collisions with German and Austrian submarines, in which the destroyers Matsu and Sakaki were damaged.

After the armistice, Admiral Sato's Second Special Squadron was present at the surrender of the German fleet. 7 submarines were transferred as trophies to Japan. The last Japanese ships returned to Japan on July 2, 1919.

Sources

"History of the East" in 6 volumes. Volume V "East in modern times (1914-1945)" - Moscow, publishing company "Eastern Literature" RAS, 2006. ISBN 5-02-018500-0
A. Bolnykh "Sea battles of the First World War: On the ocean" - Moscow, AST Publishing House LLC, 2000. ISBN 5-17-004429-1
Zaionchkovsky A. M. World War I . - St. Petersburg. : Polygon, 2000. - 878 p. - ISBN 5-89173-082-0
"Overseas Theaters of the First World War" - AST Publishing House LLC, Transitkniga LLC, 2003 ISBN 5-17-018624-X

Japanese empire
Story	Meiji Restoration Satsuma Uprising Ryukyu Annexation First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War Annexation of Korea World War I Great Kantō Earthquake Taishō Democracy Manchurian Incident Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War Japanese Surrender
Emperors	Meiji Taisho Showa
State structure	Constitution Emperor Genro Prime Minister Genroin Privy Council
Ideology	Fukoku kyohei State Shinto Kokutai Continuous Dynasty Great East Asian Sphere of Mutual Prosperity
Colonies	Taiwan Korea Karafuto (until 1943) Kwantung region (?) South Pacific Mandate Islands (?)
Army

Japan during the First World War. State of the country after the First World War. Japan during World War II.

JAPAN DURING THE FIRST WAR. In the First World War, Japan took the side of the Entente and used the war for its own purposes to penetrate into China. Having begun military operations against Germany on Chinese territory, in the province of Shandong, part of which had been in the hands of the Germans on a leasehold since 1897, Japan actively began to implement its broad imperialist plans in East Asia. The international situation was very favorable for the implementation of Japanese plans, since the great powers were distracted from Far Eastern affairs by events in Europe. In August 1914 Japan declared war on Germany. Having occupied the territory rented by the Germans in Shandong, the Japanese in January 1915 made "21 demands" to the Chinese government, established control in its military, political and financial spheres.

During the war years, plundering the colonies, the bourgeoisie of Japan enriched itself even more. Martial law was introduced inside the country, and the standard of living of the people deteriorated significantly. In 1917-1918 there was not enough bread, food prices rose.

"RICE riots" In August-September 1918 in 36 prefectures of Japan there were mass demonstrations of citizens. In the history of Japan, they are known as the "rice riots" of 1918. Residents of the cities began to smash rice shops and warehouses. They set fire to the dwellings of large entrepreneurs, usurers, broke up rice warehouses and distributed food supplies among the participants in the performances. The street committees of the rebels exposed the machinations of the city authorities and put forward demands for streamlining the pricing policy for food products. "Rice riots" covered 144 cities of the country. unta e during b Burned Kobe nie in the city building

"RICE ROOTS" Causes The rapid rise in rice prices has led to a complication of the economic situation, in particular in rural areas, where rice was the main means of subsistence. Farmers, comparing the low prices at which the state bought rice from them with high market prices, were indignant. The peak in rice prices coincided with the spiral of inflation that hit the country after the First World War, which affected the cost of most consumer goods and rental income, which caused discontent among the townspeople. Participation in the Intervention on the Siberian front only aggravated the situation - the government began to buy rice stocks in order to provide provisions for the expeditionary force, and this raised prices even more. An attempt at state intervention in the economy failed, and protest moods spread from the countryside to the city. Rent (economy) - regularly received income from capital, bonds, property, land. Inflation (lat. Inflatio - swelling) - an increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. Foreign military intervention in Russia (1918− 1921) - military intervention of the Entente countries and the Quarter Union in the Civil War in Russia (1917− 1922). A total of 14 states took part in the intervention.

"RICE ROOTS" Particularly strong demonstrations took place in the largest city of Japan - Osaka. Here, the performances of the masses were distinguished by organization and great activity. A crowd of 20,000 residents threw stones at a police detachment and burned a convoy of cars. In just one day, the discontented masses of the city's poor destroyed 250 rice warehouses. The "rice riots" of 1918 in Japan had the character of mass spontaneous uprisings and failed. The Japanese authorities dealt ruthlessly with the rebels.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. During the First World War, Japan became a powerful country. Such sectors of the economy as metallurgy, machine building, chemical industry, arms production, shipbuilding, received further development. Battleship "Fuso"

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. The US and China did not agree with Japan's course. In 1921 - 1922 At the Washington Conference, Japan was forced to retreat and give up the Shandong Peninsula. Restrictions were placed on her navy. Shan peninsula dunsky

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. In 1924 - 1932 in power in the country were the political parties of the Seiyukoi Minseito Kakkushin Kura-bu (Black Dragon Society. Black Dragon is the Chinese and Japanese name for the Amur River)

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. In the second half of the 1920s, the ruling circles of Japan pursued an expansionist policy. At first they wanted to weaken China and completely subdue it, and then other countries ("Tanaka Memorandum"). To do this, they began to increase military forces, strengthen the navy. Expansionist policy (from Latin expansio - spread, expansion) A policy aimed at the economic and political subjugation of other countries, at expanding spheres of influence, at seizing foreign territories

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. During the years of the global economic crisis, Japan experienced significant difficulties. Despite this, intrigues in China did not stop. The clashes within the country and the fragmentation of China contributed to the achievement of Japan's aggressive goals. In 1932, the state of Manchukuo was created in the northeast of China, which came under Japanese patronage. The armed forces of Japan were concentrated here, which created a threat to the USSR and Mongolia. Such an aggressive policy of Japan was facilitated by the actions of other powers. In 1927, the USSR sold it the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). CER map from Port Arthur (Luishun) to Changchun

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. During the years of the economic crisis, many enterprises were closed, unemployment assumed a massive character. The living conditions of the peasants worsened. The political struggle intensified in the country. Among the officer corps, especially the junior and middle ranks, pro-fascist groups arose, advocating a tightening of the order. Terrorist acts were committed against statesmen. In 1936, they led to the death of Prime Minister Saito and several ministers. The authorities went to extreme measures to protect members of the government. At the same time, plans were approved for the further militarization of the country and the strengthening of Japan's position in Manchuria. To this end, a "new economic structure" and a "new political structure" have been developed. Thus, a hotbed of war began to be created in the Far East.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. One of the initiators of the militarization of the country was Prince Kanoe, who took over as head of government in 1937. Under him, political parties were banned. Many Democrats ended up behind bars. The Association for Assistance to the Throne was created with the aim of spreading chauvinistic ideology among the population, planting the cult of the emperor. The idea of a "special role" for the Japanese, of their superiority over the rest, was widely promoted. This was how the masses were indoctrinated before starting the war for world domination. Militarization subordination of the economy, politics and public life of the state to military goals

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. It is no coincidence that in those years Japan began to actively draw closer to the fascist states. The "Berlin-Rome-Tokyo" axis was directed against neighboring countries. Soon, both in Europe and in the Far East, aggressive actions of its participants began. On July 7, 1937, Japan launched a "great war" against China and quickly occupied many of its regions.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR. In 1939, its troops invaded Mongolia, but were forced to retreat under the pressure of the armed forces of the USSR and the MPR. In 1940, when Germany defeated France and Holland, Japanese troops invaded the territory of French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and then the islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore. On September 27, 1940, the governments of Japan, Italy and Germany sealed the Tripartite Pact. In April 1941, the USSR and Japan signed a Neutrality Treaty for a period of five years. Expansionist policy (from Latin expansio - spread, expansion) A policy aimed at the economic and political subjugation of other countries, at expanding spheres of influence, at seizing foreign territories Japanese poster dedicated to the signing of the Triple Pa

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. In 1937-1940. Japanese troops achieved impressive victories, capturing vast territories of China and the countries of Southeast Asia. Cities such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Wuhan were destroyed. Intoxicated with success, Japanese soldiers engaged in looting, committed violence against civilians. Mass executions of citizens of the conquered countries were supposed to sow fear among other peoples and inspire them with the idea of the superiority of the Japanese.

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. After the signing of the neutrality treaty with Moscow, Japan's main forces operated in Southeast Asia. Here she was opposed by England. The United States was not involved in the war, but the contradictions between Japan and the United States were growing. In October 1941, General Tojo was placed in power and began preparing for war with the United States. To lull their vigilance, he invited America to negotiate, which ended in vain. . General Tojo

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacked the main US Pacific base of Pearl Harbor, knocking out many ships and aircraft. With one blow, Tokyo achieved a significant advantage. This is how the Pacific War began. Japanese Zero fighters (Mitsubishi A 6 M 2, model 11) The Arizona battleship is on fire after being hit by a Japanese

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. Until the middle of 1942, the Japanese fleet felt like a master in the expanses of the Pacific Ocean. Then the combined American-British forces began to gain the upper hand in naval battles and move towards the Japanese islands. Having occupied the Philippines, the United States proceeded to intensive bombing of Japanese cities: on August 6 and 9, 1945, two atomic bombs incinerated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. As a result of atomic strikes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 447 thousand civilians were killed, in addition, tens of thousands of people died in subsequent years from radiation sickness. The need to use atomic bombs against Japan, which was already on the verge of defeat, still causes fierce debate. The commander of the crew of the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima later went mad with worries about the evil he had done. deniya hell Consequences n bombs

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. Another blow to Japan was dealt by the Soviet Union, which on August 9 declared war on it. The armed forces of the USSR occupied the northeast of China, North Korea, South Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands. Despite the resistance of the military elite, the Emperor of Japan declared his readiness to sign the Act of Unconditional Surrender, taking full responsibility, and on September 2, 1945, it was signed aboard an American cruiser.

JAPAN IN THE YEARS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR. The defeat of Japanese militarism was of historical significance. Many Asian countries were liberated from Japanese colonialism and won their independence. It was also a boon for the Japanese people, who got rid of the deification of the emperor, militant militarism and imperial chauvinism. Having gone through humiliation and suffering, the Japanese people found the strength to admit their guilt and repent before other peoples for their aggressive actions. This spiritual cleansing allowed the Japanese to embark on a democratic and peaceful path of development, which brought their country unprecedented prosperity and prosperity. ki Modern To