This book re-examines the diplomatic and international relations of East Asia and the Pacific region, specifically Japan, Korea, Qing China, and the United States, from the Meiji period onwards, focusing on "why the United States supported Japan / why Korea was abandoned." In particular, it analyzes Korea's internal affairs and diplomacy, the involvement of major powers (especially the United States and Great Britain), Qing China's position, and Japan's motives and strategies from an international comparative perspective, starting from just before the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95).