"Conquering Korea Theory" And Its Impact In Early Meiji Japan

“Conquering Korea theory” is a kind of politic proposition in early Meiji Japan, whichwas putted forward by Saigo Takamori etc. Its purpose was to realize the Japan’s rich andstrong by conquering Korea and using force to open the Korea’s door.“Ancient Japan onceruled north Korea”in the Japanese mythology and ancient traditions long-term affects a partof the Japanese“concept of north Korea”. To the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, withstimulation of the Tsushima crisis,“Conquering Korea theory” more clear, just becauseJapan is in the period of malaise, this argument has been put on hold. In early Meiji Japan,YanCang corps visit Europe and the United States, Saigo Takamori becomes left-behindgovernment’s chief senate, powerful, and takes this opportunity to put forward ConqueringKorea,“Conquering Korea theory” forms.left-behind government claims by using force to conquer Korea to realize the Japan’srich and stong, on the contrary, YanCang corps claims, first of all,by adjusting the structureand focus on promoting domestic economic construction to achieve the country’s rich andstrong. It arouses a debate among two parties, namely“Governance party”headed by OkuboRintong and“Conquering Korea party”headed by Saigo Takamori. The former achievedvictory in the end.“Conquering Korea theory” fails.“Conquering Korea theory” produces double impacts on the history of Japan, it not onlypromotes the establishment of Okubo Regime, establishes “governance to be priority,aggression to be second” national development policy, and opens the road to Japan’smodernization, but also has become an important ideological source of its foreignexpansionism and paves the way for it.