December 27, 1903.
"The Russians have refused to answer our reasonable demands. Their diplomats are merely stalling for time, which will only benefit Russia's war preparations more and more. Russian troops are streaming from Europe into Asia without end. If we do not respond, not only will we be unable to penetrate the Far East Empire, we may even lose the Korean colony. Once I return, I will report Russia's attitude to His Majesty the Japanese Emperor. War cannot be avoided."
At the end of 1903, after negotiations between Japan and Russia broke down once again, Hirobumi Ito spoke indignantly to his entourage.
Faced with Russia's aggressive pressure, the Japanese Government had in fact adopted a policy of forbearance. After all, anyone with clear eyes knew that Japan and Russia were not countries of the same weight class. Even if Russia's influence in the Far East was comparatively thin, that was only in comparison to Russia itself. To the surrounding nations, Russia's military strength in the Far East was immensely powerful.
Although the Japanese Government liked to gamble, it was not foolish, and thus it had been fairly proactive in its attitude toward launching a war against Russia.
Therefore, during the earlier diplomatic negotiations with Russia, Japan had not expected to drive out Russian influence in a short time. It merely hoped Russia would guarantee Japan's interests and position in Korea. Yet Russia not only rejected the Japanese Government's "reasonable" demands, but also opposed Japan's request to use Korean territory for military purposes. This was clearly something the Japanese Government could not accept.
Negotiations between the two countries had begun at the end of the previous year. After a full year of talks, the Japanese Government's patience had finally run dry. Of course, Japan's weak posture during the negotiations did