Editing Russian Far East (section)

===Russo-Japanese War===
{{Further|Russo-Japanese War}}

Russia in the early 1900s persistently sought a warm-water port on the [[Pacific Ocean]] for the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] as well as to facilitate maritime trade. The recently established Pacific seaport of [[Vladivostok]] (founded in 1860) was operational only during the summer season, but [[Lüshunkou|Port Arthur]] (leased by Russia from China from 1896 onward) in Manchuria could operate all year. After the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–1895) and the failure of the 1903 negotiations between [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] and the [[Tsar Nicholas II]]'s government, Japan chose war to protect its domination of [[Korean Empire|Korea]] and adjacent territories. Russia, meanwhile, saw war as a means of distracting its populace from government repression and of rallying patriotism in the aftermath of several general strikes. Japan issued a declaration of war on 8&nbsp;February 1904. Three hours before Japan's declaration of war was received by the Russian government, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the Russian [[Pacific Fleet (Russia)|1st Pacific Squadron]] at Port Arthur. Eight days later Russia declared war on Japan.

The war ended in September 1905 with a Japanese victory following the fall of Port Arthur and the failed Russian invasion of Japan through the Korean Peninsula and [[Northeast China]]; also, Japan had threatened to invade [[Primorsky Krai]] via Korea. The warring parties signed the [[Treaty of Portsmouth]] on 5 September 1905, and both Japan and Russia agreed to evacuate Manchuria and to return its sovereignty to China, but Japan was allowed to lease the [[Liaodong Peninsula]] (containing Port Arthur and [[Talien]], aka [[Kwantung Leased Territory]]), and the [[South Manchuria Railway|Russian rail system in southern Manchuria]] with its access to strategic resources. Japan also received the [[Karafuto Prefecture|southern half of the island]] of [[Sakhalin]] from Russia. In 1907 Japan forced Russia to confiscate land from Korean settlers (who formed the majority of Primorsky Krai's population) due to a fear of an invasion of Korea and of the ousting of Japanese troops by Korean guerrillas.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}