Russo-Japanese War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Russo-Japanese War
Date 8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905 Location Manchuria, Yellow Sea Result Japanese victory; Treaty of Portsmouth
Belligerents
Russian Empire	Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Tsar Nicholas II Aleksey Kuropatkin Stepan Makarov  † Zinovy Rozhestvensky	Emperor Meiji Ōyama Iwao Nogi Maresuke Tōgō Heihachirō
Strength
500,000	300,000
Casualties and losses
34,000 – 52,623 killed and died of wounds 9,300 – 18,830 died of disease overall 43,300 – 71,453	47,400 – 47,152 killed 11,424 – 11,500 died of wounds 21,802 – 27,200 died of disease overall 80,378 – 86,100

The Russo-Japanese War was a big conflict between the Japanese Empire and the Russian Empire. It lasted from 1904 to 1905. Japan won this war, which was a surprise to many people around the world.

The war happened because both empires wanted control over parts of Manchuria and Korea. These areas were important for trade and power. Most of the fighting took place in Manchuria, especially on the Liaodong Peninsula, and in the seas nearby.

At the time, the Chinese Empire, ruled by the Qing Dynasty, was weak. Both Russia and Japan wanted to take advantage of this. For example, Korea was under Qing rule, but Japan took it over. Russia wanted a "warm-water port" on the Pacific Ocean. This kind of port does not freeze in winter, which is good for ships. Russia's port at Vladivostok froze, but Port Arthur (in China) stayed open all year. Russia had already rented Port Arthur and was building a Trans-Siberian railway to it.

Why Did the War Start?

Russia wanted a warm-water port on the Pacific Ocean for its navy and trade ships. Japan, on the other hand, wanted to expand its own empire into Korea and China.

Japan worried that if Russia finished its railway by 1906, Russia would be too strong. With the railway, Russia could send many more soldiers to the area. Japan believed it had to attack before Russia became too powerful. Japan wanted more control in Korea and China than Russia was willing to give. So, Japan decided to strike first.

The war began with a surprise attack by Japan on Port Arthur. Japan then won several battles in Manchuria. The final big battle was at Tsushima Strait, where the Russian navy was almost completely destroyed.

Peace and What Happened Next

United States President Theodore Roosevelt helped Russia and Japan make peace. He even won a Nobel Prize for his efforts.

Russia had to give up its influence in the Far East. Many Russian people were very angry at their government and at Tsar Nicholas II. They felt Russia should have kept fighting because they thought Russia could have won. Japan was actually running out of money and soldiers. Russia had a much larger army and many more people to replace lost soldiers. But Japan had no more trained men and no money for new training.

Japan gained control of Port Arthur and the Russian railway in Manchuria. Five years later, in 1910, Japan officially took over Korea. Japan continued to expand its empire in Asia until World War II.

The Russian defeat helped improve their army after 1904. This improvement contributed to an "arms-race" in Europe, which was one cause of World War I. The war also played a part in the Russian Revolution and Civil War in 1917.

Images for kids

• 

  An anti-Russian map made by a Japanese student during the war.

• 

  Chinese generals in Pyongyang surrendering to the Japanese in 1894.

• 

  Soldiers from the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900.

• 

  Kurino Shin'ichirō.

• 

  Japanese soldiers during the takeover of Seoul, Korea, in 1904.

• 

  Map showing battlefields in the Russo-Japanese War.

• 

  Bombardment during the siege of Port Arthur.

• 

  Japanese attack on Russian forces in 1904.

• 

  The route of the Russian Baltic Fleet.

• 

  Russian soldiers retreating after the Battle of Mukden.

• 

  A drawing of a Japanese attack during the Battle of Mukden.

• 

  The Japanese battleship Mikasa, Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō's ship at the Battle of Tsushima.

• 

  Negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905.

• 

  The Japan-Russia Treaty of Peace, signed September 5, 1905.

• 

  A Japanese drawing showing Tsar Nicholas II having a nightmare about his defeated soldiers.

• 

  After the Battle of Liaoyang: Wounded Russians being moved by the Red Cross.

• 

  Japanese General Kuroki and his staff after the Battle of Shaho (1904).

• 

  A woodblock print of "The Battle of Liaoyang" from 1904.

• 

  A painting of Admiral Heihachirō Tōgō on his ship, the Japanese battleship Mikasa, before the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.

See also

In Spanish: Guerra ruso-japonesa para niños