The Russo-Japanese War began on February 8, 1904, with the Japanese attack on the Russian Port Arthur. According to the United States Department of State Archives, approximately 60,000 Russian and 41,000 Japanese soldiers died in this war making the estimated death total 101,000.
Japan, like European countries of the time, was involved in the age of Imperialism. During the late Meiji period Japan began to acquire colonies in Southeast Asia. This put Japan in a position where it would rival European countries, which also had colonies in Asia. The Age of Imperialism brought about several wars across the world including this one.
Before I write anymore it is important that I define a couple of the geographical regions this war was fought in. Manchuria, which is where most of this war is located, is in Northeast China. The Liaodong Peninsula is located in Southern Manchuria and West of modern-day North Korea.

In the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), Japan was forced to give up territory acquired from its victory over China in South Manchuria and the Liaodong Peninsula by the “Triple Intervention,” which was Russia, Germany and France. Russia had great interest in the region for mainly two reasons. The first was in building what is known as the great Trans-Siberian Railway which would have tracks through northern Manchuria directly to Vladivostok. The second reason is the Russians would have access to Port Arthur on the Liaodong Peninsula, which was good for the Russians, because they had access to warmer waters, but to Japan this was a slap in the face. As a result of the “Triple Intervention” alliance, in 1902 Great Britain made an alliance with Japan that if more than one world power was to attack either country that the other would come to their aid.

Up until the Russo-Japanese War, Japan and Russia had disputes over control of Manchuria, but they were settled through diplomatic means. That was until February 8, 1904, when the Japanese surprised the Russians by attacking Port Arthur, effectively starting the conflict between the two countries. The attack on Port Arthur did not fully block the Russian fleet from leaving the port, but it kept them confined to it. On April 13, 1904, the Russian flagship Petropavlovsk was sunk by a mine while it was in harbor, killing Vice Admiral Stephan Osipovich Makarov and 662 crew members. The Russian Pacific Fleet had been badly damaged by Japan’s attacks at Port Arthur and the Russians needed support from their Baltic Fleet, which set sail for Vladivostok.
However, Russia had another issue with fighting a naval battle against Japan. This is because Russia’s Baltic Fleet was blocked from entering the Suez Canal, which was under the control of Great Britain. Instead, the Russians had to travel around Africa to even reach their destination. This long journey depleted the Russians fuel and left many with disease, leading to a devastating defeat in the Battle of Tsushima between Korea and Japan. Only 4 out of 35 Russian ships ended up making it to Vladivostok.

The Battle of the Yalu River in April 1904 was the first major land battle of the war. This battle took place on the border between Korea and Manchuria and was a victory for the Japanese, who forced the Russians to retreat while taking some as prisoners of war. This loss meant that the Russians were effectively pushed out of Korea. At the Battle of Nanshan, the Japanese 2nd army was able to force the Russians to abandon the commercial port of Dalny and the outer defences of Port Arthur, but this resulted in heavy casualties for the Japanese 2nd army.

In 1904 another division of the Japanese army advanced into Manchuria against the Russian army under the command of General Aleksei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin in Liaoyang and dealt massive casualties at the Battle of Sha-Ho. The Russian offensive at San-de-pu in January 1905 resulted in failure leading to the most significant land battle in February and March, 1905. A battle in the town of Mukden took place, resulting in severe casualties for both the Russians and the Japanese. It is estimated that both armies lost a third of their forces, but the Japanese secured victory by outflanking the Russians and taking control of the town.

Although Japan had significant victories in the Russo-Japanese War, that did not come without cost. The Japanese had lost many soldiers and used an extensive amount of their resources fighting the war. Although Russia had taken many defeats throughout the war, their military technically had more power than that of Japan. Both Japan and Russia were ready for the war to end and the United States, under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt, offered to help mediate an end of the war between the two countries. A peace conference was held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Russo-Japanese war formally came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth on September 5, 1905.

As a result of the treaty, Japan was given control over Korea, the South Manchurian Railway, Port Arthur and Dainy in the Liaodong Peninsula. Japan was also given half of the Sakhalin Island which belonged to Russia. Initially Japan wanted all of the Sakhalin Island, but Russia managed to negotiate to keep the northern half of the island. The treaty itself made the Japanese public angry because they expected more and did not understand the full extent of their military's exhaustion. Nevertheless, the Russo-Japanese War went down in history as the first time an Asian country defeated a European country.

Sources
“Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations - Office of the Historian.” n.d. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/portsmouth-treaty.

“Russo-Japanese War / 2.0 / Encyclopedic - 1914-1918-Online (WW1) Encyclopedia.” 2024. 1914-1918-Online (WW1) Encyclopedia. July 9, 2024. https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/russo-japanese-war-2-….

Schirokauer, Conrad. 1993. A Brief History of Japanese Civilization. Wadsworth Publishing Company.