Pascal remained in the reduced French East Asian force after the Boxer fighting ended. At a 1903 review for the Japanese emperor, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia each sent a protected cruiser, while Britain sent both HMS Glory and HMS Blenheim. The gathering can be read as a public contest over which power could appear to be Japan's strongest friend. Britain's heavier representation and the wording of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance show why Japan mattered as an extra factor against possible combinations of rival powers.
Chapter · 39:34-41:21
Pascal joins a contest for influence at a Japanese naval review
The ships sent to Japan in 1903 make alliance competition visible and help explain Britain's interest in Japan as an extra strategic factor in East Asia.