After the civil war ended in Japan in 1870 , the government decided to strengthen the army and navy following the example of European countries. And this is not surprising, since the army of any country should have a certain potential that will stand in the service of the state. It so happened that it was at the same time that China set similar goals, which, in fact, was the beginning of the competition for supremacy in the East. Although this rivalry did not stop almost never. That is why the Sino-Japanese war has many subtexts.
The rivalry did not appear outwardly until a conflict arose over the priority position in Korea. It was located between China and Japan, so the Sino-Japanese war had every reason to start. After all, these two countries did not want to yield to each other in dominance in this region. This was due to the elementary principles of economic development, when in the presence of land and ports it was possible to safely develop any economy. So, in June 1894 (officially only on the first of August) the first Sino-Japanese war began, which lasted two years, ended with the victory of Japan and the signing of a peace treaty with China. As a result: the partition of China on the one hand and the active development of Japan, the creation of a colonial empire on the other.
The war between Japan and China, which ended simultaneously with the end of World War II, has a parallel name: "The Second Sino-Japanese War." In July of the thirty-seventh, Japan, with a well-trained and no less well- armed army, launched a war against China, using as an excuse the conflict with gunfight that occurred on the Marco Polo Bridge, which, of course, was blamed by Chinese troops. But to say that the Chinese side started this conflict is impossible, since historians on this score have several opinions at once. For China, the declaration of war was sudden, and, of course, Japanese troops immediately began to win victory after victory. China lost a significant part of the North, Tianjin and Beijing, and later Shanghai.
The situation for the country was significantly complicated by the fact that Italy and Germany provided serious support to the invaders. That is why the Sino-Japanese war took place according to the same scenario, where the result was known in advance. But the Chinese people did not yield to the enemy and did not intend to submit to him. The USSR took an active part in hostilities, speaking on the side of China. The USA and Great Britain, which looked at China in their own selfish interests, also preferred to support precisely the weak side. As we all know from the history of the Second World War, the weakness with good support turned out to be strong over time.
The situation of Japan became quite vulnerable, but, nevertheless, in 1944, Japanese troops were able to win the long-awaited victory, capturing vast territories. The Chinese government was in no hurry to capitulate this time and, almost until August forty-fifth, a difficult, unstable, tense situation continued. Chinese wars have always been tense, because there are enough opponents in this region, and the country's territory is huge. But the Chinese people this time were able to show their enemies that they also have the right to respect. The armies of both one and the other state were weakened, and this was also the reason that no one took decisive action.
The final completion of the second Sino-Japanese war occurred after the complete surrender of Japan, when the USSR entered the war in the Far East, and the Kwantung army was defeated. More Japan and China did not conduct hostilities and today are partners in many sectors of the economy!