British Territory: The Empire of Japan

Phase 01 - Opening of the Country and War

This is a depressing WI scenario in which Japan is incorporated into the British Empire. If this is not your cup of tea, please do not read.

- Katsumi Fusō

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Japan shifted towards limited opening at the end of the Tanuma Era.

Trade with the Qing Dynasty also became more active, gradually increasing dealings with Britain in the process. However, the Edo Shogunate, which enjoyed relative peace throughout the land, was enthusiastic about post-opening commercial activities but neglected military matters due to the lack of threats. Furthermore, aside from Qing, the Netherlands, Korea, and Ryukyu, the foreign nations involved at the start of Japan's opening remained largely unchanged. The eastern edge of the Eurasian continent was simply too distant from Europe.

Then, as the 19th century began, during the Bunka-Bunsei Era, the British came. Britain was already the world's leading power, ahead in industrialization, with colonies and markets worldwide, and was willing to use military force upon entering Asia.

At that time, Japan's value in the East began to be gradually emphasized by Britain, which was aggressively advancing towards being a global empire.

Japan, with its relatively small islands densely populated, had a promising market due to its pre-modern development. Furthermore, it was situated at a location connecting Asia and North America in the North Pacific, adjacent to the largest market, China. Japan itself seemed to have advanced in its unique culture, but its modern military power was inferior to China. While it started to imitate sailing ships after opening, it was far from the industrial revolution. Its entire territory was island-based and not connected to the continent, making it an ideal gateway to the East Asian region. Moreover, its territory was not as extensive as China's and seemed reasonably conquerable.

Britain aimed to export its superior industrial products and luxury goods like sugar to Japan to capture Japan's wealth through trade. However, Japanese handicrafts were unexpectedly formidable, and the import of rare products manufactured in Japan increased, making trade with Japan less profitable than expected. The profit came from the initial unequal treaties that Japan considered unfair due to the ignorance of the other party. Naturally, Japanese dissatisfaction grew day by day. Furthermore, by the time Britain actively engaged in trade, the Japanese had already begun their own modernization efforts. They were gradually acquiring modern military equipment, and although the central government (Shogunate) remained slow-moving, some innovative movements were observed in local governments.

Furthermore, as Japan began to establish connections overseas through ships, immigration started to spread to various parts of Asia and even North America. In particular, the West Coast of North America was, at this point, largely uninhabited due to the expulsion of Spanish settlers from Mexico. The reason for this increase in immigration was understood to be that the population within Japan had been maintained at a saturation point for a long time. However, for Britain, an excessive increase in people of color in these new territories was undesirable, except as slave labor or low-wage workers.

Should Britain just stand by and watch the colored people prosper? Is it time for Britain to make a strong move towards Japan?

During this period when Britain was contemplating such matters, an incident occurred: the "Opium War."

In this war, China (Qing Dynasty) suffered a disastrous defeat at sea but put up fierce resistance on land, minimizing the impact of British invasion. When Britain dispatched a fleet to Nanjing, China showed signs of determined resistance, leading to a ceasefire agreement between the two sides. Britain did not achieve a satisfactory outcome. In any case, China was too vast. It was even larger than India, which Britain had nearly completely subjugated.