Japan's navy as the foundation of great-power security

Admiral Togo Heihachiro and Japan's political leadership had direct experience of naval victory as a guarantee of national survival and international standing. Navy Minister Viscount Saito Makoto supported continued expansion, while Prime Minister Marquis Katsura Taro came from the Army and shared the era's militarist outlook. Emperor Meiji's support for modernization also encompassed sea power. The fleet was still absorbing captured Russian ships and expanding its industrial base. Japan was therefore in a capability-building phase rather than a position of satisfied security. A treaty would have to define what status Japan received in return for surrendering future qualitative choices, at precisely the moment when the navy had demonstrated their value.