| On what date did Japan declare war on Germany during World War I? | 23 August 1914 |
| What was Japan’s primary interest in joining World War I? | To strengthen its economic and political hold on China. |
| In which year did Germany formally lease Jiaozhou Bay from China? | 1898 |
| What was the goal of the German administrators in Jiaozhou Bay? | To create a “model colony” (Musterkolonie) with infrastructure and buildings similar to those in Germany. |
| Which German Pacific possessions were important to its naval strategy around the turn of the century? | Northern Mariana Islands, Nauru, and Samoa |
| On what date did Japan give Germany an ultimatum regarding Qingdao? | 15 August 1914 |
| Why did Japan believe Germany was in a weak position to defend Qingdao in 1914? | Germany was occupied on two fronts in Europe. |
| What was the third option considered by German diplomats in China instead of handing over Qingdao to Japan? | They considered declaring Qingdao a neutral territory during the war. |
| Why did China not attempt to take the German concession back by force? | Japan, aligned with Britain, persuaded Chinese President Yuan Shikai to remain neutral. |
| What did Japan promise regarding Qingdao after World War I? | Japan promised to return the concession to China after the war. |
| What did Wilhelm II allegedly say about the loss of Tsingtao to Japan? | He said it would shame Germany more than losing Berlin to the Russians. |
| Why did Japan declare war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 25 August 1914? | Due to the continued presence of the Austro-Hungarian warship, the Kaiserin Elizabeth, in the waters around the German concession. |
| Why did Japan continue its advance on Qingdao despite Britain's recommendation to include France and Russia? | Japan continued its advance independently, making it a mostly Japanese endeavor and only included Britain to comply with the alliance of 1902. |
| What was the size of the German forces in Qingdao at the time of Japan's attack in 1914? | The German forces numbered only about 6,000, most of whom were merchants in China. |
| How did Colonel Nathaniel Barnardiston react to the British-Indian regiment being subordinated to Japan’s military during the attack on Qingdao? | Colonel Barnardiston wanted his unit to be given independent status but was told that it would be subordinate to Japan’s military. |
| What claim did Japan make to the Chinese government while coordinating their attack on Qingdao? | Japan claimed they wanted only to defend peace in East Asia and had no intentions of conquering territory in China. |
| What does historian Jonathan Fenby suggest about Japan's choice of landing site for the attack on Qingdao? | Fenby suggests that Japan’s choice of landing site, starting from Longkou and traveling inland, showed the hollowness of its claim that it sought no territorial aggrandisement. |
| How did Japan’s advance into the inland of Shandong affect China’s neutrality? | Japan's advance created a war zone in the vicinity of Jiaozhou, which led to China no longer being able to maintain strict neutrality. |
| Why did China take offence at Japan’s control of the Qingdao-Jinan railroad? | China argued that the railway was a Chinese-German enterprise, not simply German property, and thus felt it was wrong for Japan to seize it. |
| What were the ‘Twenty One Demands’ presented to China by Japan in January 1915? | The demands included granting Japan territorial and economic concessions, as well as the right to appoint military, financial, and police advisers to the Chinese government. |
| What did Japan gain from the ‘Twenty One Demands’ after China’s resistance? | Japan confirmed its seizure of the German concessions in Shandong province and gained control of the South Manchurian Railway Zone and Hanyeping mining plants. |
| What did Japan secure regarding China's coastal and island concessions? | China agreed not to grant any more coastal or island concessions to any other power but Japan. |
| Which demand was dropped by Japan in response to Chinese hostility? | Japan dropped its demand to appoint military, financial, and police advisers to the Chinese government. |
| What was the ultimate aim behind the loans Japan made to China in 1917 and 1918? | The ultimate aim was to develop the limitless resources of China and the industry of Japan, creating a plan for self-sufficiency and making Japan and China a single entity. |
| Who was the pro-Japanese Prime Minister in China during the 1917-1918 loans, and what was hoped to be achieved? | The pro-Japanese Prime Minister was Duan Qirui, and the loans were hoped to consolidate his power and help him defeat his rivals. |
| What recognition did Japan receive from Russia in 1916? | Russia, by a secret treaty, recognised Japan's growing mining and railway interests in Manchuria. |
| What did the USA recognise when it entered the war in 1917 regarding Japan? | The USA recognised Japan's geographical position and its entitlement to protect its special position in China. |
| How did Japan support the Allies' efforts during World War I? | Japan supported the Allies by hunting German cruisers, providing materials, selling arms and munitions, constructing warships, and defending merchant ships and troop transports. |
| What was the economic impact of Japan’s war efforts? | Japan's exports increased by 400 percent as it sold arms and munitions to Britain and Russia, built ships for France and the U.S., and constructed merchant shipping for Britain. |
| What was the role of Japan’s navy in the Pacific and Indian Oceans? | Japan’s navy protected Allied shipping from German commerce raiders, escorted troops to the Middle East, and relieved strain on the British and U.S. Navies by allowing them to focus on the Atlantic theatre. |
| What was the secret agreement between Japan and the United States in 1917? | Japan and the United States agreed that Japan would patrol the waters around Hawaii, allowing the U.S. to concentrate more forces on the Atlantic theatre. |
| What did Britain, France, and Italy secretly agree to in 1917 regarding Japan's territorial conquests? | They secretly agreed to recognize Japan’s de facto conquest of the Shantung Peninsula and Pacific territories, despite initial concerns over U.S. objections to Japan’s expansion in China. |
| How did Japan secure its position as a great power after World War I? | Japan secured its position as a great power by retaining its conquests of German territory in China and the Pacific Islands, with Germany’s rights to the Shantung peninsula transferred to Japan through the Treaty of Versailles. |
| What was the U.S. response to Japan’s annexation of Germany’s colonies in the Pacific? | The United States initially tried to prevent Japan’s annexation of the German colonies in the Pacific but ultimately accepted a compromise involving a mandate system that gave Japan de facto control. |
| What setback did Japan face in the post-war negotiations regarding self-determination and equality? | Japan faced setbacks when the U.S. and Great Britain rejected Japan’s proposal for a racial-equality provision in the League of Nations charter, preventing Japan from being recognized as a co-equal actor. |
| What shift in world power dynamics occurred after World War I that concerned Japan? | After the war, world power dynamics shifted from a European-centric to a U.S.-centric world, with emerging principles of self-determination, nonaggression, and free trade that posed a potential challenge to Japan’s ambitions in Asia. |
| Why did Great Britain decide to allow its alliance with Japan to lapse in 1921? | Great Britain allowed its alliance with Japan to lapse due to concerns over Japan’s emerging power and the possibility of being drawn into a war between Japan and the United States, which seemed increasingly likely. |
