‘Backing the wrong horse’: Japan in British Middle Eastern Policy 1914–18

Abstract

The course of Anglo‐Japanese relations prior to 1914 rendered senior British policymakers nervous regarding possible Japanese aggrandisement in the Middle East. This article explores the factors which precluded British acceptance of Japanese military involvement there when, both before and during World War I, the idea was discussed. Particular reference is made to the views of the India Office and to those of Lord Curzon and the subject is analysed in the broader context of British Middle Eastern policy.