Russia as a “Trauma”
Journal: Russia in Global Affairs
Year: 2019

The present paper discusses the so-called "Russian factor" in the political development of Japan over a period from the late 19th century till the present day. The rise and fall of Japan as a "great power" in the 20th century is tightly linked with its relations with Russia (the Russian Empire and the USSR), which became a specific factor of the Japanese imperial project. Russia served as a challenge to Japan that triggered its social mobilization and militarization in 1895-1905. The victorious