How did the US and the UK provoke Japan to take over Sakhalin in the Russo-Japanese War?

I don't see how this would be in Britain's interests as she had an alliance with Japan. This stated that if either went to war with two Great Powers the other would assist. The Russo-Japanese war could possible have got France involved to support her ally Russia and this would have left the UK in a quandary as she had agreed to act as an ally of France as well (though nothing formal could be agreed). She had also recently signed a deal with Russia that ended colonial tensions between these two powers so had nothing to gain from a war between Russia and Japan other than the weakening of two potential allies.

As to America she was still fairly aloof from world politics at this period.

I think this may be another story of the official Japanese history trying to lie their way out of their wars of aggression.

The Japanese did not take over the entire island, only the southern part of it, which they called Karafuto.

I had not heard anything suggesting the U.S. and Britain took an active role in provoking the Japanese into this war. It is possible that the foreign services of these nations were concerned about Russian expansion into China and may have wanted Japan to take a more active role in Asian affairs.

Since the emergence of Japan onto the world stage in the mid 19th Century, the country had experienced phenomenal growth and development. The U.S. and Britain may have welcomed Japan as a modern Asian country with a European economy and politics.

We should be careful what we wish for.

LOL!

A nice theory, but completely fake

In any aseI wonder how the US/UK could have provokedthe Japanese navy into making a surprise torpedo boat attack on Port Arthur!

I guess in that case the US/UK also "provoked" the japanese government into building their fleet in the first place! LOL!

the facts of the war- Japan had Korea and bits of northern China. Russia occupied Manchuria including Port Arthur and thus cut the Japanese possessions in half. Tomake things worse Port Arthur was fast becoming a major naval and military base and it was plumb in the middle of the Japanese lines of communication.

If it ever came to a surprise war (and Russia was famous for swallowing small and unwary neighbours) the Japanese fleet would have been stuck guarding Port Arthur-or else risk leaving their land forcescut off from supplies

what they did was perfectly logical- strike at a time when the enemy is not ready (yet)

Even though Port Arthur was not completed and under staffed, it managed to hold off the whole Japanese army and navy for months. Had it been ready it wouldhave been impossible for the Japanese to take it or contain the forces sheltering there

As to the US/UK provocation- at that time the US and UK were not allies. A few Russian ships had been built in the US, while some Japanese ships were designed and built in the UK. And that is the whole extent of their involvement