Russo-Japanese War

War between Japan and Russia from February 8, 1904 to September 5, 1905 for control over Korea and Manchuria. Japan had earlier fought the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. The Treaty of Portsmouth (September 5, 1905) acknowledged Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War and gave Japan exclusive rights in Korea and territorial rights to Sakhalin south of the 50th parallel. The war established Japan's status as an imperialist state in East Asia. To most Japanese, the Russo-Japanese War embodied the achievement of national independence that had been the nation's goal since the Meiji Restoration. (adapted from Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993)