Empire of Japan (EternalFreedom)

Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon no Teikoku)
The Empire of Japan was one of the few Asian empires that ever existed. Its rise started in 1895 as a result of its victory over China in the First Sino-Japanese War. However, its start as a potential empire started with the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Early Expansions

After a few years of modernization during the Meiji Restoration, Japan was poised to enter the world stage as it enters the First Sino-Japanese war in 1894. The First Sino-Japanese War ended with a quick Japanese victory over Qing China and was awarded with the control of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the northern parts of Manchuria and the island of Formosa.

In 1901 to 1903, tensions ran high between Spain and Japan over the colonies in the south east Asian regions, particularly the Philippines. The result was the Hispano-Japanese War, in which Japan claimed victory in a quick and decisive manner. Further Japanese consolidation of the region were confirmed with the annexation of those colonies.

However, Japan resumed its war with Qing China in 1910 when Japan invaded the rest of China from its occupied territories in Manchuria (similar to its real world version of its second Sino-Japanese conflict). That war dragged well into World War One of Timeline 191.