The Anglo-Japanese Pact
Introduction
The British Empire has found itself in a contradictory position over the past few centuries. On one hand they posess the greatest total landmass of any sovereign nation and its subjects that they have won through several wars, rampant imperialism, and diplomatic intrigue. On the other, their list of friends has all but disappeared. The British stood alone on the world stage in the nineteenth century; hated by the French, distrusted by The Holy Roman Empire, and absolutely antagonized by The United States of America. To find an opportunity to expand its reach over the world, the British found its greatest ally in an unsuspecting former enemy, the emerging Empire of Japan. The Pact they have formed now stands as one of the three Grand Alliances.
Early Japanese Cooperation
Japan is a nation characterized by its sudden launch onto the world stage. It has proven itself capable of threatening older, seemingly more developed powers in only a couple of decades. Their first interactions with the British in the mid-nineteenth century were not that of friends, but of foreign adversaries threatening the integrity of their cultural hegemon on the mainland. China had for some time been under partial occupation by British troops in Canton. While they had some foreign backers to assist them in acquiring military hardware, they required more manpower to replenish their numbers after years of combat. The Joseon Government promised to aid in the modernization of Japan if they sent troops to aid in their repelling of the invaders. While Japan fulfilled this deal, with Canton being reformed as a neutral merchant state, the partnership with the Korean Empire proved less fruitful than anticipated. Joseon’s military was already behind that of most empires, relying heavily on Russian weaponry. Japan already had issues with the Russians, thanks to various territorial disputes and fishing conflicts in their northern waters. The Tsar ultimately demanded that no Russian technology be shared with the Japanese through their relationship with Joseon, effectively souring the deal upon arrival.
Japan’s relationship with its neighbors worsened at the turn of the twentieth century, as the Russian presence in Siberia sharply increased. The region was being heavily developed following the activation of the Nikolovsk Gate, and military installations were being constructed along the borderlands to prevent invasion. As the threat of war with Russia became an inevitability, an unlikely ally came forward. British Prime Minister Cecil Rhodes was also concerned by increasing Russian market power in Asia, especially as they had clashed multiple times in India and Afghanistan. Rhodes sent Foreign Secretary Lansdowne to propose a deal with the Japanese; Japan would go to war with Russia to attempt to loosen control over Joseon, and Britain would pass a defensive treaty, ensuring that if any other major power interfered with the conflict that they would incur the wrath of the British Commonwealth. The deal was struck in January of 1902, and it was not much longer before it became a necessity.
In 1904, Russia went to war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a result of a revolt in Russian-controlled Vilnius. Many of the eastern boyars were deployed to Europe, leaving an opening for the Japanese. The Russo-Japanese War broke out on February 8th, with the well-prepared Japanese military absolutely blindsiding the Russian defense. Other powers, including Joseon, voiced the possibility of intervention, but were ultimately blocked by the British. An all-out war with the British was not ideal for any power, so Russia’s allies stood back and watched. The makeshift alliance proved successful, with Britain’s main competitor in East Asia taking a heavy blow from the war, and the Japanese receiving the support they had long desired.
A Wedding to Cross the Globe For
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance grew dormant following the death of Emperor Meiji. This was not a coordinated effort, as the disarray in the Japanese government during the Taisho regime caused many political relationships to falter as the Imperial Court bickered over the direction to take the nation. This only worsened at the outbreak of the Japanese Civil War, as the divisions within the state formed their own unofficial alliances. The British found early on that their interests best aligned with the samurai-backed Edo faction. It was in the Commonwealth’s best interests to strengthen trade in East Asia, especially as colonization efforts in the aether drained their coffers. The mercantile sentiments of the Osaka faction placed them too firmly in league with their rival the United States, who would likely wish to maintain the economic status quo in southern China. Supporting the court in Kyōto would theoretically be an even worse move, as many of Taisho’s senior advisors were discussing reconciling with Joseon.
To better drum up support for political action in Japan, Britain’s “Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office” funded a series of public outreach campaigns and educational programs designed to garner positive feelings for the Japanese in the public sphere. In what could be considered a sweeping propaganda movement, the identity of the samurai became almost synonymous with chivalric knights of yore. Increasing numbers of comparisons were drawn between the two island empires, intrinsically tying their fate to that of Japan’s. The FCDO even funded special study scholarships for boarding school students to spend a term at Japanese schools, an incredibly bold move once the civil war broke out. While these educational voyages to Japan were risky, they secretly also provided the perfect cover for some covert commerce. Little did these exchange students know that the cargo holds of their transports often had crates of Vickers machine guns stowed along with their luggage.
The British Lord Protector was not the only statesmen attempting to bring this relationship closer, as the young Crown Prince Hirohito was also trying to strengthen his position. The future emperor was only sixteen when the Santo Sensō divided his realm, and rather than hide from the conflict he instead chose to push himself further into politics. Along with tutors from various internationally acclaimed institutions, the prince employed two scholars visiting Japan from Cambridge University. He asked them often about their homeland, showing an obvious desire to study abroad, even though he was held back by his situation. When a troupe of British Girl Guides visited Japan in 1920 as part of the FCDO’s scholarship program, Hirohito and his younger brother Yasuhito snuck away to observe. Yasuhito followed his brother out of genuine curiosity, however the Crown Prince had another reason for this trip. The troupe was being chaperoned by Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of George V. The three heirs had a very cordial meeting, with Yasuhito being quite taken by the young woman’s down-to-earth personality and keen intellect. Hirohito was already thinking ahead, attempting to find some external support for reunifying his country.
The Crown Prince found himself at odds with the opinions of most of the advisors in his father’s court. The common opinion in Kyōto was to seek help from the Joseon dynasty to suppress the rebellion, though this would place Japan more firmly in the tributary system of the Middle Kingdom. Normally these voices of dissent were easily countered by members of the Genrō, the elder statesmen and daimyō who serve as specialist advisors on government policy. The issue was that since the start of the Santo Sensō the Genrō had been unofficially dissolved, as many of them had abandoned their posts to fight for the other two factions. This meant the traditionalist bureaucrats and priests were the only ones bending the ear of the weak-willed emperor, pushing the royalist portion of the nation further away from the politics of the general populace. As Hirohito was being frozen out of responsibility while his father’s health declined, he decided that any help to restore control likely would come from outside Kyōto.
Through political maneuvering, the Crown Prince was able to secure a meeting with the heads of state of Great Britain in 1921. His father’s court would not allow him to fuel his own ambitions, so he had to make it seem as though it was the British monarchy that invited him, an easy feat given his acquaintance with Princess Mary. The event was a significant milestone for all factions in Japan, as this was the first time a member of the Japanese royal family had made a diplomatic mission abroad. The initial meeting was held to great fanfare, as the public was fascinated by this distant land they had heard so much about in recent years. The exchange as reported in the press featured a series of tours around the country, with the delegates trying a number of local foods and activities. The affair also served as a good distraction for the British populace from the strife caused by the Famine.
Behind closed doors, Hirohito met with Prince Edward and Lord Protector Joseph Chamberlain, discussing the future of their two Empires. A shipment of untainted food from Ebisu was arranged to alleviate the pressure on the populace, though much of this rice was never distributed beyond the home islands. The Crown Prince made it clear that he was against his nation’s efforts to befriend China, citing that the Korean dynasty ruling the mainland had tainted the legacy of the Middle Kingdom. He had a plan to resolve the civil war in his country before this could come to pass, but required resources to ensure a swift reconstruction of the country. Half a decade of skirmishes in the country’s interior had left Kansai largely desolate outside the capital cities. Chamberlain assured him that if the fighting were to stop, he could arrange some inexpensive steel for the reconstruction effort, especially if food from Ebisu could continue to flow.
A secret contract was drafted on March 21st, 1921, binding the fate of Britain and Japan. The two empires would exchange food and raw resources openly with virtually nonexistent tariffs, ensuring that they each had economic preference over rival powers. The EIC would be unofficially requested to ramp up pressure on any U.S. based private military companies operating near or in Japan, while Hirohito would push to have their docking rights revoked in the parts of the nation he had authority over. The two empires also agreed to prepare their respective militaries for war with Joseon once the famine, civil war, and pandemic were dealt with. Their hope was to regain Canton as a foothold for the Commonwealth in the Asian market, weakening China and its allies in the long term. The only thing required to make this joint plan work was for Crown Prince Hirohito to resolve the divides in his own country, which he would immediately begin work on when he returned home.
The deal was sealed with the betrothal of Prince Yasuhito to Princess Mary, officially joining the two monarchies via their new cadet branch. While the two had only met one time, this was not unusual for royal betrothals in Japan, and the two had noteworthy chemistry. Moreover, neither monarchy would allow the Crown Princes to marry a foreigner, and Hirohito and Edward both recognized that doing so would cause an uncontrollable scandal. The formal betrothal was announced the following week, after the couple was informed of the situation. Mary was notably complacent in the move, understanding the significance of the alliance. The public response was mixed in both extremes, with the common people of Britain either in full support of the union, or absolutely furious.
When the news reached Japan, there was a very different reaction, with the Imperial Court going into a full panic. The Crown Prince had gone behind their back to make this decision, undermining their plans to increase ties to the Koreans. The Edo faction was emboldened by this new potential alliance with the British, and doubled their efforts to advance into enemy territory. As they continued to gain ground against the Osaka faction, Hirohito presented himself as more sympathetic to their cause, asserting that the Samurai caste was on his side. This continued to make the court anxious, leading them to attempt drastic measures to salvage their efforts. This series of decisions ultimately lead to the unfortunate tragedy of August 15th, 1923, when the Emperor’s train was derailed en-route to Korea.
The coronation of the new emperor in 1924 marked the end of the Japanese Civil War, but it would be a few more months before the one final gesture sealed the deal with the British. With the former Prince Hirohito now in control, he finally removed all obstacles in the way of Yasuhito’s wedding. Any remaining dissenters in the court were purged, and repair works were moving swiftly enough to not hamper the spirit of the event. The British royal family was invited to attend the ceremony, with a majority of them offered imperial quarters for their stay. The only missing member of the immediate family was King George himself, who was in poor health. The ceremony was largely to the standards of the Japanese Imperial Family, with some alterations made to accommodate the unique situation. Mary’s Japanese was still not to a conversational level, so she was permitted to present a poem in English to replace the traditional Waka she was to exchange with Yasuhito. The ceremony for the bestowing of swords was also altered, as the two parties involved were to be treated as equals. The British provided a high-quality sword designed to resemble the Sword of Mercy, one of the monarchy’s crown jewels, which was gifted to Yasuhito as a nominal adoption into the house. The Japanese presented Mary’s second brother Albert with an original Muramasa blade, largely at the behest of Edward. He was fascinated by the “cursed” blades, but was just superstitious enough not to take one for himself. He already had a small collection of antique katana anyways, and thought it might be a better gesture for his brother to receive one.
With the ceremony carried out March 21, 1924, three years after their initial bargain, the royal families of Britain and Japan were linked under the House Chichibu. This marriage solidified the alliance between the two powers, now often referred to as the Anglo-Japanese Pact. The two powers often continue their own separate relations, however, the strongest of these alliances are often reciprocated by the other senior partner, resulting in an alliance system with twin leadership. Admittedly The British Empire and by extension, the Commonwealth is seen as a stronger power by many, largely due to its sheer scale compared to Japan. This leads many on the outside to assume that Britain is the head of this alliance, mistakenly asserting they have seniority. Ever since the culmination of the civil war, however, Japan as a state has only become more stable. The British post-famine have been struggling to hold their bloated state together. These opposing situations provide a balance in the Pact; the Japanese provide a sturdy backbone to their drawn-out conflicts in East Asia, while the British provide a variety of secondary resources, as well as the logistical reach to strike out against enemies abroad. While this partnership is formidable, the allies the two nations have gathered provide the strength of a third great arm of the faction.
Gran Colombia and the Spanish Remnant
Following the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish and Portuguese Empires were dismantled, leaving a power vacuum in South America. Great Britain aided in the reinstallment of the Spanish Monarchy, while Portugal lived on as the Brazilian Empire, a largely pro-Habsburg regime. Spain’s colonies however were still independent, and not much could be done to reverse course. Instead the British sought a model of soft power over the region, providing much-needed industrial development to the rural states forming. Their primary target was the fledgling nation of Gran Colombia, which was quickly uniting northern South America. The Crown personally ordered the delivery of several crates of modern rifles to Bogota in 1829, to aid in the conflict with Peru. This gift ingratiated Great Britain with the Colombians, which in turn gave them special access to local markets.
As Gran Colombia expanded its control of the region, it eventually ran into conflict with The United States of America, who had been expanding south through Mexico. War broke out in 1900, with the British quickly moving to secure aid for the Colombians. They could not support them in direct conflict however, as their control in the Caribbean had been largely weakened by a separate conflict with the US from 1861-1863. Instead, the British deployed blockade runners to lease privately sold equipment to the Colombian military, and attempt to stall the American war machine through international embargos. While indirect in approach, the aid proved instrumental in holding off the American’s advance at the Darien Gap, with British shore batteries installed early in the conflict preventing American landings. With naval invasion out of the question, Colombia could focus on the narrow Panamanian front, stalling all southward momentum.
With Gran Colombia surviving the American onslaught, Britain maintains a strong economic foothold in South America. The Colombian government was grateful for the assistance and continued to maintain healthy diplomatic ties with the Commonwealth. This relationship often puts them at odds with their Spanish Puppet-Kingdom, who still seek to reunite with their colonies. These complaints are rarely taken seriously. Spain may be on paper independent, but in all foreign policy decisions, they are beholden to the whims of the current Lord Protector.
Neo Byzantium: A Volatile Weapon against the Old World Order
The Byzantines largely owed their successful rise to power to the aid of The British Empire, but that relationship was not always a strong one. In addition to a loaned fleet during their fight for independence, the British provided direct support against the Turks as the resurrected empire attempted to conquer Anatolia. This latter interaction seemed on paper like an exclusively positive one, however intervention by the other powers of Europe caused Britain to back down when it mattered most. The Byzantines were stopped from totally eliminating the Turkish Republic but still had to partially honor land leases they promised to the British. This ended the sordid honeymoon stage of their relationship.
The great powers of the world view Neo Byzantium as a deeply unpredictable, dangerous power to be left alone. Under the banner of its resurrected national identity, it has consolidated the region at every opportunity, including multiple clashes against their former overlords. This reputation has only been partially earned, however, as many of the strategic invasions undergone by the Byzantines were spurred on by expansions of the Holy Roman and Russian Empires. With the Ottomans no longer in play, the Christian world had no need for a guardian shield in the Balkans, causing the revived titan to feel more like a cornered animal.
The Imperial Decree for the Maintenance of Religious Autonomy, announced in 1927, was the final straw for a Byzantine peace with the Imperials. The announcement affirmed that the Republic of Türkiye should be maintained as a sovereign state, as the Sunni people and ethnic Turks under the Byzantine regime already faced potential persecution in excess of what was morally acceptable. If the Byzantines continued to push more refugees out of Anatolia, they would no longer have anywhere to flee to. Whether or not the Holy Roman Emperor cared about the refugees was irrelevant, it was a necessary excuse to prevent the Byzantines from expanding into an even stronger regional power.
The Anglo-Japanese Pact saw an opportunity to turn this volatile nation against its enemies, however the British could not convince them alone. It was the representatives of the Shōwa Emperor that first approached the Basileus for an alliance. The diplomat Nakada Junji remained hesitant about this risky partnership but understood the value of the Byzantines. As the Pact’s operations increased in East Asia, it was understood that they may run into open conflict with Russia, or the H.R.E. may even attempt an attack on the British Isles. While the British focus was on Asia, they would need someone to apply pressure in Europe, as Spain would be hard-pressed to muster the necessary resources.
By playing into the insecurities of the Basileus, Nakada was able to encourage the Byzantines into a deal. He made the threat of Russia seem an inevitability, and promised that the Japanese would join them if a conflict were to arise. The diplomat even sweetened the deal with some military support, ordering a steady supply of Japanese engines to be used in the local manufacture of tanks for the Byzantine war machine. The two nations would help each other in the event of war with Russia, while also maintaining a steady trade of military resources. Nakada still felt uneasy about the alliance, but it was not his place to make that call. The agreement was formalized on April 5th, 1928, only a month before the Anglo-Japanese Pact went to war with Joseon.
The Former Joseon-Japanese War
The first joint military operation by the British and Japanese occurred in late 1926, when a peacekeeping force was sent to secure the Independent Canton Economic Zone. A revolutionary communist cell was reportedly operating out of Kowloon, raiding foreign ships coming in to trade at the EZ. This cell was one of many small uprisings that had been erupting in Joseon in recent years, but Canton’s unique role in global commerce made it hard to ignore by the world powers. It quickly became clear, however, that the British had no intention of leaving the EZ, citing a failure of the local administration to stamp out these dissenters. The Japanese reported continued communist activity in Canton, stating that the continuance of the British occupation was necessary to keep the region stable. Commonwealth troops established an interim government while order was restored. To help alleviate concerns, Japanese forces withdrew from the region, but it would not be long before they would return to the mainland.
More political uprisings of various ideologies continued to erupt across China throughout 1927, largely brought on by stressors caused by the Famine. Another rather large communist uprising attempted to overthrow the Joseon regional government in Shanghai, throwing an improvised explosive device into the governor’s office. When the Japanese peacekeepers returned to China, they never left, establishing an interim government sympathetic to their continued occupation. Meanwhile, the British had largely reformed Canton into a client state of the Commonwealth, simultaneously allowing it to field its own armed forces, unlike the pseudo-nation that had existed before. When Joseon demanded the release of Japanese-occupied territory, the installed governments of Canton and what would eventually become the Choukou Special Military District sided with the Anglo-Japanese Pact. Their decision has been made, the time of the Joseon Dynasty must come to an end.
Comments