British Territory: The Empire of Japan

Phase 02 - Establishment of the British-Controlled Empire of Japan

After the establishment of the Empire of Japan, Japan immediately implemented the abolition of domains and the establishment of peerage. The majority of the main families of the surviving domains, who did nothing, were newly bestowed peerages by the Emperor (= Britain). As a result, the authority of the Edo Shogunate completely disappeared.

And indirect British rule through the domains began (Note: The rank of the lords ranged from marquis to baron depending on the size of their domain). However, Japanese nobility was limited to Japan alone and was treated separately from British nobility in the homeland. To the British, they were only seen as lords of a small kingdom in Japan. The Imperial Family was considered exceptional, forming its own "royal family." Of course, their status was lower than that of the British royal family.

Furthermore, most of the former shogunate's direct-controlled lands known as "tenryō" (domains) were designated as British territory with the Emperor as the nominal monarch. A governor's office was established as the administrative body of the Imperial Family, directly ruling over these lands (approximately 20% of the tenryō was distributed to loyal daimyō as compensation, while some mosaic-like small areas were merged with other domains). The Japanese governorate-general was located in Edo, renamed Tokyo after more than half of the city was destroyed by fires. Everything necessary for British-style governance was placed in what was largely an empty area.

A well-organized planned city was designed, housing not only a magnificent governor-general's residence and a national cathedral but also guesthouses, numerous government offices, various industrial facilities, large harbor facilities, extensive residential areas and recreational facilities for the British, and even a comprehensive educational institution topped by a university. This became the new center of Japanese rule and saw rapid development. As it had been a center of consumption and logistics for centuries, many Japanese quickly returned to the areas that had survived the fires and rapidly reconstructed the large city.

The reconstruction of the city was swift, indicating that sufficient flood control and land development had been carried out during the Edo period.

Additionally, there was a place designated as British direct territory, known as "Ezo Island" (Ezo-ji). While the primary objective was to deter Russia, since the local population was small, British immigrants were brought in to create a stronger foothold in Asia. Towns like East Plymouth (Hakodate) and New Edward (Sapporo) were built, and they were designated as fully British settlements. The British did not refer to the island as "Ezo" but rather as "Far East Victoria Island" (abbreviated as V. Far). While Japanese residents were allowed as migrant laborers and servants, and some immigration took place, the indigenous Ainu people were favored over the Japanese in the local area, as part of the traditional colonial rule to divert resentment away from the British. As a result, the Ainu, who had been a complete minority despite being indigenous at the end of the Edo period, rapidly regained their momentum. The background for the British's preference for the Ainu was said to be that the Ainu's appearance was closer to their own compared to East Asians. In fact, some British regarded the Ainu as the most "civilized indigenous people (primitive people)."

On the other hand, the Ryukyu Kingdom, which had a strong influence in Japan since the Edo period, became a British protectorate in 1875, a few years after the establishment of the British Empire of Japan. It continued to exist as the Ryukyu Kingdom, effectively serving as a British colony for a long time. Of course, the Qing Dynasty raised objections at this time, but it was recognized as a "reward" to the British for suppressing the Taiping Rebellion.

Around the same time, surveys and territorial expansion were conducted on the islands near Japan, and many islands in the Western Pacific were gradually incorporated into British territory.