Munakata Kotar's Strategy of Separating China during the First Sino-Japanese War
The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 is called the"First Sino-Japanese War"by Western countries.In order to win this evenly matched first battle between China and Japan,Japan made suffi-cient preparations in terms of pre-war military armament and public opinion atmosphere.Munakata Kotarō,one of the earliest Japanese spies to infiltrate China,gathered intelligence that significantly in-creased Japan's chances of success in the war,for which he received commendation from Emperor Meiji.Munakata,being well-versed in Chinese culture,authored a"Proclamation Against the Qing"advocating for the"Restoration of the Ming Dynasty and Overthrow of the Qing"attempting to sow dis-cord between the Manchu and Han ethnic groups.His goal was to undermine the psychological defense of the Chinese people from within.However,he failed to recognize that after over 200 years of integra-tion and development,by the late Qing period,the"unity of Manchu and Han"and the concept of"one family under Heaven"had already taken root.Consequently,his strategy of separating China proved in-effective and became a subject of ridicule.
The First Sino-Japanese WarMunakata KotarōThe Strategy of Separating China
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