Hispano-Japanese War

The Spanish-Japanese War was a war fought between Spain and Japan in the early 20th century. Spain's power had long since dwindled down to nothing. Japan, on the other hand, had begun asserting itself in the Pacific region both militarily and politically. This coupled with Spain's obvious weakness lead to a brief but bloody conflict from which Japan emerged victorious, taking Spain possessions in the region, including the Phillipines.

Japan's victory made the rest of the Western world stand up and take notice. Never had an Asian country so completely defeated a European one. Skeptics were quick to point out that Spain was hardly a formidable opponent. Nonetheless, the world had to concede that Japan had arrived as a player on the political scene, and would have to be dealt with.