| The Sino-Japanese War of 1894--1895 was a seminal event, as the last major war of the nineteenth century, and arguably the first modern war of the next, and not only for Asian geo-politics, but also with regard to the burgeoning relationship between Japan and the United States. California's proximity to the war, her economic, social, and political ties to the region, and her large Chinese and growing Japanese immigrant populations, all contributed to her concern over the war's course and outcome. California would later emerge as the main domestic focal point of tension between the United States and Japan, culminating in numerous war scares that illuminated California's anxiety about the growth of Japanese militarism. This paper examines the genesis of this climate of fear through analysis of California's press reaction to the Sino-Japanese War, specifically Japan's progress in the conflict and the image the press rendered of her militarism. |
