Modern Japanese History Through Korean Eyes: Chapters 4–6

Date and time: 7/15, 21:00 online

Participants: kdg, mori, Bench Press

Book title: A History of Modern Japan Through Korean Eyes

Author: Park Hoon

Year published: 2025

Publisher: Across

Assigned reading: Chapters 4–6

1. Domestic strains immediately after the Meiji Restoration and the rise of the theory of conquering Korea

After the Meiji Restoration, dissatisfaction among samurai who had lost their privileges was redirected outward, and under the leadership of Saigo Takamori, the theory of conquering Korea emerged.

Having experienced Western civilization through the Iwakura Mission, Ito Hirobumi and Okubo Toshimichi opposed this, advocating “domestic affairs first.”

In the end, when the theory of conquering Korea was not adopted, Saigo Takamori withdrew to the countryside, which later led to the Seinan War, a rebellion by the samurai.

Participants expressed surprise at the fact that expansionist thinking advocating overseas invasions of Taiwan or Korea had already begun to take root in Japan from the late 18th century to the early 19th century.

After the failure of the Gapsin Coup, reformist figures such as Kim Okgyun fled to Japan, but the Japanese government was reluctant to support them out of concern for friction with Joseon.

2. Joseon’s vulnerability and the background to Japan’s imperialist expansion

At the time, Joseon was described as the product of factional strife in which power was monopolized by a small minority, and this internal vulnerability was pointed to as a factor that made Japanese invasion easier.

Participants analyzed that Joseon’s incompetence, together with the success of a series of exploitative processes such as the Treaty of Ganghwa, instead became a “catalyst” that drove Japan into the quagmire of totalitarianism and imperialism, including its invasion of Manchuria.

It was discussed that, up through the Imo Incident and the Gapsin Coup, Japan had avoided conflict with Qing China, but beginning with the Donghak Peasant Movement, it showed a meticulous ability to assess the balance of forces, becoming convinced of its objective military superiority and launching the First Sino-Japanese War.

3. The distinctiveness of the Meiji Restoration and factionalism in Japan’s military

The discussion considers why the Meiji Restoration did not escalate into extreme bloodshed like the French or Russian Revolutions.

It is argued that the emperor’s power was not absolute, and that the daimyos of each region possessed independent economic and political foundations, making compromise and balance at an appropriate level possible.

The historical rivalry between the Choshu Domain (army) and the Satsuma Domain (navy), which led the Meiji Restoration, is mentioned.

It is pointed out that the severe mutual checks and non-cooperation between these two factions later became one of the causes of Japan’s defeat in World War II.

The conversation naturally led to the importance of military organizations shaped by history and tradition, and expressed concern about some contemporary views that seek to forcibly merge or abolish military institutions such as military academies solely in the name of efficiency.

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Original title: <한국인의 눈으로 본 근대 일본의 역사> 4~6장

Author: Jayujuui Ipmun Dokseo Toron Moim

Date: 2026-07-16

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=1&idx=29288