Korea (Treaty of Ganghwa Island) - 1876 (dec 1, 1875 – jan 1, 1876)

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1) Korea, a nation in close proximity to Japan, had always been something that the Japanese Government wanted to conquer. They had tried multiple times in the past, but they were never successful. Motivated by a desire to export their manufactured goods combined with their new and modernized army, Japan felt bold enough to try opening up trade in Korea, along with increasing their influence in the region. Another motivation was to sever the tie between Korea and China, assuring Japanese dominance in Asia.
2) Japan was able to successfully get multiple classes passed, including unrestricted trade with Korea, 3 Korean ports being put under Japanese control, along with extraterritoriality for Japanese citizens. In the aftermath of the treaty, China was quite furious, and was worried that Japan would gain too much influence and control in Korea(a state which was technically theirs). To stop total Japanese control, China convinced Korea to sign treaties with some of the Western powers.
3) A multitude of positives and negatives occurred from this treaty. It allowed Japan to export some of its manufactured goods, have a reliable trade partner, sever Chinese ties in Korea along with building the foundations of a Japanese empire, however this did not go without some consequences. This treaty caused tensions to rise with the Chinese, and was a very important factor in the First Sino-Japanese war.
4) 9.7/10. Japan wanted a reliable trade partner, they wanted to expand their influence, and they did not want to be severely reliant on the west. The only issue was that the Chinese ties were not completely severed, however the tension that arose which led to the First Sino Japanese War ended up working to their favour.

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