Japanese military modernization of 1868–1931

De facto political and administrative power shifted to a group of younger samurai who had been instrumental in forming the new system and were committed to modernizing the military.The Imperial Army General Staff Office, created after the Prussian model of the Generalstab, was established directly under the emperor in 1878 and was given broad powers for military planning and strategy.Upon release from service, soldiers carried these ideals back to their home communities, extending military-derived standards to all classes.Among their goals were to instill respect for the emperor, the requiring of universal education throughout the Japanese nation, and lastly the privilege and importance of military service.[2] "In 1873, no one could predict with certainty whether these quarrels would end peacefully or through military action, nor was it clear which individuals or groups would come out on top in the expected power struggle.[12] The first overseas test of the nation's new military capabilities was the Taiwan Expedition of 1874, which was in retaliation for the 1871 murder of shipwrecked Ryūkyūan sailors.As an ally of Britain in World War I, Japan assumed control over Germany's possessions in Asia in the Treaty of Versailles, notably in China's Shandong Province, and the German-controlled Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The London Naval Treaty of 1930 brought about further reductions but, by the end of 1935, Japan had entered a period of unlimited military expansion and ignored its previous commitments.
An 1868 photograph of Japanese Tokugawa Bakufu troops being trained by the French Military Mission to Japan
Reception by the Meiji Emperor of the second French Military Mission to Japan , 1872
An illustration of Khabarovsk occupied by Japanese troops during the Russian Civil War
Japanese military historyMeiji periodMukden Incidentnational governmentEmperorFranceBritainGermanyTokugawa shogunateMeiji Emperorsamuraisecond French Military Mission to JapanconscriptionImperial Army General Staff OfficeGeneralstabSatsuma Rebellionimperial rescriptAnglo-Japanese allianceKhabarovskTaiwan Expedition of 18741871 murder of shipwrecked Ryūkyūan sailorsWorld War IIFirst Sino-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese WarSakhalinManchuriaally of BritainWorld War ITreaty of VersaillesShandongMarshall IslandsBoxer RebellionEight-Nation AllianceRussian Civil WarJapanese intervention in SiberiaWhite GuardNaval General StaffWashington Naval ConferenceLondon Naval Treatypublic domainFederal Research Division