Japan was glad to have the war with China past them. They had lost many, many soldiers – far more than she could ever afford. But the gains had been substantial. It could be argued whether it was worth it.
On the other hand, the war was certainly not Japan’s fault. Unless its adventurism in Korea could be blamed… Which it probably could. It couldn’t have been helped, however – Japan deserved a colonial empire locally, even if it had no interest in foreign adventures beyond Asia.
In an interesting development, just a month after Japan’s war with China concluded, and even while France was in the midst of war in southern China, Britain found reason to declare war upon France, and they and their allies went to war. It sounded like quite an affair, though it was really unclear to the Emperor’s advisors just what all these French allies would bring to the war.
What it did was leave the Dutch, not the French, to be the main comabattants in southern China for the duration of this war, as the French troops were needed elsewhere. The Dutch had no such distractions.
Foreign powers kept attempting to play their power games with Japan. The Russians and Americans seemed to be vying desperately for interest – influence over Japan, at the cost of each others’ attempts. For the time being, they were keeping each other in check.
Japan was able to develop some important new technological improvements. Population growth increased, and attrition decreased, with medical discoveries. Improvements in reserve training added to Japan’s military power, as did additional improvements to the professionalism of the Japanese Army. These military improvements, Japan feared, might be needed soon, as the Europeans continued to encroach with conquests over Asian lands…
It was the Dutch, not the French, who claimed Guangdong. The benefit, from Japan’s perspective, of this conquest, is that it cut Britain off from claiming ports in the South China Sea. Such an arrangement, for such a powerful empire as Britain, might bring them finally into conflict with Japan. Since Japan had been trying to hedge her bets, but becoming friendly with Britain, it was preferred to not have any points of conflict with her.
A year after the 2nd Sino-Japanese War, things had settled down in the Empire. The acquisition of HaIshenwai had added 771,000 people to the population. The farmers and miners were back at work, and the world had come to recognize Japan as a significant world power. Based on some subjective measures, Japan stood 10th in the world, behind most of Europe, but ahead of Sweden, Spain and Belgium.
Militarily, Japan actually had the world’s 7th largest army, though her technology left something still to be desired. Given parity in weapons and techniques, Japan might almost be a rival to a major European imperial power, such as the Netherlands. Even the old nemesis, Russia, appeared weaker, on paper.
Japan’s economy seemed to be thriving, in many ways. Her industry was considered 12th in the world, and that was not subject to arbitrary measures – Japan really held that position as a major trading and industrial power.
Considering that her industrial technologies were not just substandard, but had suffered stagnation while military research was more important, this was even more incredible. What might parity in industrial and commercial techs deliver for Japan?
That war between Britain and France, and France’s allies, lasted about a year, concluding in the summer of 1881. Part of what was once Siam, now changed hands again, and became British.
The period between 1880 and 1885 was one of peace for Japan, which she desperately needed in order to stabilize and gain industrial and technological advancement. It’s important to understand some of the major discoveries and research goals Japan met during this period (below being a list of the game’s Discoveries and Techs – Techs are noted as such, the rest being related Discoveries):
- Clinical Thermometers & Binaural Stethescopes (+population growth)
- Vaccination (less attrition, military hospitals = more “killed” troops get sent back to fight with their units)
- Societal Status (less mobilization impact on economy)
- Strategic Mobility (the Tech, not a Discovery) (recon +.5, Dig-in & Forts +1)
- Mechanical Production (the Tech, not a Discovery) (factory output efficiency +10%!!!)
- Pitt’s Threshing Machine (fruit, grain, tea production greatly increased)
- Field Fortifications (Army Defense +1)
- Combat Medicine (less attrition, military hospitals up again)
- Signal Detachments (army organization +2.5)
- Academic Training (morale +50% -- this affects recovery of org after a fight)
- Empiricism (prestige up slightly)
- Northrop Power Loom (cotton, wood, silk, fabric production up appreciably)
- Pitt’s Threshing Machine (somehow I got it TWICE!
- not sure whether it increased my fruit production again)
- Hussey & McCormick’s Reaping Machine (fruit, grain, tea production greatly increased – add this to the threshing machine, and I’m probably producing twice as much of each, even if I didn’t get the thresher benefit twice!)
- Analytic Philosophy (research points +100%)
- Philosophy of Language (prestige up slightly)
- Mechanical Precision Saw (timber production +10%)
- Jacquard Powered Loom (wool, silk, fabric production up appreciably)
- Naval Design Bureaus (the Tech, not a Discovery) (ship build time -10 days)
- Mechanized Slaughtering Block (wool, cattle, fish production greatly increased)
- Mechanical Saw (timber, tropical wood production up some)
The legendary “Spanish Empire”, in 1881, was again being kicked around by some of their European brothers. The Turks were wanting to regain the Arabian territory they had lost a decade or more before, and Spain’s allies had deserted them to their fate.
Soon thereafter, in January 1882, Russia declared war upon China again.
The war took less than a year to prosecute, and China lost its westernmost hill country to Russia by the end of 1882.
In April of 1883, a volcano exploded with violent force in the Dutch East Indies! The sound was heard from Okinawa, and Japan soon witnessed changed weather patterns and bizarre atmospheric conditions due to the ash thrown up into the air. Superstitions cowed many leading Japanese figures, though the more scientifically-minded of the Empire understood the natural origins of these phenomena.
But soon, a deeper, darker cloud enveloped Japan. Russia brought Japan back into its sphere of influence, 28 years after they had first superimposed their looming presence over Japan, and a quarter-century after they had been taught that first, important, lesson in terms of leaving Japan alone.
Again, as before, Japan found that it was not yet prepared to throw off their oppressors… But the time would come, soon, when technology and military circumstances would allow another uprising against this humiliation, perpetrated by the Russians.
Japan was trying to draw closer, diplomatically, to both the USA and UK, with lesser attentions upon the North German Federation. These seemed to be the powers that were less aggressive toward Japan’s Asian region (with the exception of the UK, but so long as the British did not burst out upon the Pacific Ocean, it was of no consequence). The USA was the country which seemed most interested in Japan, other than Russia, and had made various bids to grow closer to Japan – they were simply beat out by the Russians in the sphere of influence race. The USA would have been much preferred, should such things have to happen.
Russia had fallen to 4th in the Great Power race, yielding to the USA. Politically, the socialists were growing in power in Japanese government, but there still was not a mandate for great change.
In 1885, after a period of building and growing, Japan increased its military spending substantially, in an effort to increase the number of soldiers they would soon have at their disposal. Japan still had a pretty decent surplus in her treasury. The population had increased to more than 12 million. Her military had increased to nearly 160 regiments.
Japan was researching iron muzzle-loaded cannon, which would give her an advantage on the battlefield. Her units did have a significant number of artillery regiments, so this would help out considerably to have modern, European-style artillery.
The USA was warring with Egypt (so were the Turks as I recall), and had expanded her war to take the Holy Land back. The US had opened the Suez Canal, and controlled all the territory around the Canal.
