Japan was not long in finding uses for her navy.
The massacre of some shipwrecked Japanese in Formosa led to the
despatch of a punitive expedition, the expense of which was paid by
China, the suzerain, without any too much goodwill.
In 1875 Koreans gave trouble, by attacking a Japanese steamer that had
visited one of their ports for coal and provisions, and in the midst of
wild excitement a fleet was despatched, which, however, accomplished
its object without bloodshed. A commercial treaty was concluded, and
Japanese influences once more begun to gain ground in the Hermit
Kingdom.
Mention has already been made of the Satsuma clan, whose anti-foreign
sentiments had brought them into conflict with the British ten years
before. A large portion of this clan were still violently conservative,
and Saigo, the then head, having retired from Tokio, set up military
schools, which something like 20,000 young Samaurai entered. Owing
to his known reactionary ideas, Saigo was naturally viewed with some
suspicion, but it is questionable whether he was at first imbued with
anything but a strong imperialism. Amongst other things, he advocated
the seizure of Korea, which, at that time, could have been done without
much opposition, if any, from Russia, then busy over her war with
Turkey. The Russian danger crusade was not, however, taken seriously
by the people at large, and Saigo, in preaching war with Russia, was
regarded as a visionary, crying “wolf” where no wolf was to be found.
On the other hand, war with China was a foregone conclusion for a
long time before it occurred. Both China and Japan wanted Korea, and
while China claimed a suzerainty over Korea, Japan insisted that it
was an independent State. On account of this, strained relations were
continual.
In the spring of 1894 an insurrection broke out in Korea, and China,
to indicate her suzerainty, despatched troops to quell it. At the
same time she sent a Note to the Japanese Government, notifying her
intentions, using the term “tributary State” for Korea.
Japan replied by a Note, refusing to accept the “tributary State”
expression, and a little later announced her intention of sending
4000 troops to Korea—claiming this as her right under the Chemulpo
Convention—which specified that if China sent troops to Korea, Japan
might do the like.
China protested, and, after the exchange of many Notes, despatched ten
transports full of troops from Taku between July 21 and July 23. She
also sent to Asan in Korea the small cruiser Tche Yuen and the gunboat
Kuang-ki.