Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

PART 4: WORLD WAR I (TRUE ROUTE)

Phase 23 - The Road to War

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After the Japanese War, the countries that had taken vast territories from Japan rushed to colonize those regions. The reasons were obvious: to prevent the Japanese from regaining control and to ensure that these territories would not be taken by others. Furthermore, it was an opportunity to take even more from Japan while it was weakened.

Despite being a colored race, the Japanese had monopolized a significant amount of wealth until then. Therefore, returning this wealth to the "rightful rulers" was considered a duty even by white nations. While these ideas may not hold in contemporary times, they were closer to common sense in the Europe of that era.

The countries that had long believed they had been suffering from the bitterness caused by the Japanese and the Empire of Japan wasted no time in manipulating Japanese territory as they pleased.

As a result, they unjustly stripped the rights of local Japanese and their descendants in their colonies and spheres of influence, imposing oppression on the entire colored population residing there. Many Japanese were expelled, not only from the areas but also from their positions, including officials, military personnel, and capitalists who had remained in those regions. Naturally, the resentment of the Japanese toward the Triple Entente countries grew significantly. In the regions that became white colonial territories, there were even outbreaks of violence in response.

While such scenes were somewhat commonplace in imperialism, what was unusual was that the oppressed side consisted of civilized people who had received adequate education.

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In the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent, in Hokkaishū, Japanese people who resisted Russian oppression staged a rebellion. However, Russia sent a large number of troops to suppress it and implemented an even stronger oppressive regime. Nevertheless, the resistance did not stop, and due to the vastness of Hokkaishū, governance was often ineffective, leading to constant internal unrest. However, the Russians, having finally secured an outlet to the Pacific Ocean, were euphoric, and the actions of the local Japanese were considered "mundane matters" to them. In reality, for a continental nation like Russia with a multitude of ethnicities, the increase in Japanese population by tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands had little significance. Furthermore, being so distant from the Russian mainland, it was not a place where the Emperor and nobility in St. Petersburg could easily exercise practical control. To them, it was merely gaining a new frontier territory and a nominal serfdom in terms of numbers.

In the South Pacific, in accordance with the terms of peace, the regions of Australia and Shinkai declared independence from Japan in 1906, albeit somewhat nominally. However, they were effectively incorporated under British influence. Powerful fleets were dispatched from Britain to the strategic location of Singapore, and a large British-Indian army was prepared in India, all in preparation for "unforeseen circumstances." Under these circumstances, Japan, which had just lost a war, was unable to take any significant action. The vast Oceania region, which was essentially a colony, became little more than a pawn on the chessboard.

In 1907, the relatively small-scale Shinkai Republic became a protectorate of Britain for somewhat contrived reasons, and the name given by the Dutch, "New Zealand," was revived after several centuries. Then, in September 1910, Gōshū Republic, citing non-payment of national debt interest to Britain, was renamed Australia and fell under British protectorate.

Consequently, the name "Oceania" was adopted to replace the Japanese name of Daikyōshū for the region. British embassies in various locations became governorates, and British naval vessels dropped anchor in ports across the region, replacing the previous Japanese presence. Many British officials, military personnel, capitalists, and the ruling class came to the region. In Oceania, there was strong resentment at having even their names taken away, and resistance movements against Britain intensified. With each act of resistance, British control was strengthened, and more was taken away.