Sino-Japanese War Is mainly due to the conflict between Qing, who claims to be a suzerain to Korea, and Japan, which denies the suzerain and tries to eliminate Qing from Korea.
And everyone predicted that the main battlefield would be the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding waters.
This war was Japan's first international battle, and the surrounding circumstances were difficult.
Established the Imperial Headquarters in Hiroshima
In Japan in the 20's of the Meiji era, the transportation infrastructure was not fully equipped, and personnel and supplies could not be transported nationwide. Under such circumstances, in response to the start of the Sino-Japanese War, the government first developed a command system and secured a supply route to the front . I started from.
The first step in preparing for Japan's first war is to set up a general headquarters . was.
This is the highest commander institution of the Japanese Army and will be a new organization [ Imperial Headquarters 】is.
Imperial Headquarters Is 1893 (Meiji 26) In addition, it will be set up in the General Staff Headquarters and will move to the Imperial Palace on the premise that Emperor Meiji will take direct command.
However, there is an inconvenience in this Imperial Headquarters.
Meiji 26 Currently in Japan, wireless telegraphy does not exist , Wired telegraph was not fully equipped only between big cities. As I wrote above, the means of transportation is not sufficient, and the mountainous areas are transportation conditions that are not much different from those in the Edo period . was.
In short, the chain of command to the front was too long before the start of the Sino-Japanese War. It is.
Therefore, the government decided to take the plunge and move the Imperial Headquarters to a place where it is easier to take command by placing it on the front line. The chosen place is Hiroshima was. This Hiroshima is the home of the 5th Division of the Army, 1890 (Meiji 23) Navy Kure Naval District Was also installed.
Along with these, the development of neighboring bays such as Hiroshima Port will be promoted at a rapid pace, allowing large vessels to enter the port and securing sufficient storage areas for supplies.
Also, 1894 (Meiji 27) Another major reason was that the Sanyo Railway opened to Hiroshima.
In this way, the Imperial Headquarters began preparing to relocate to Hiroshima, and the headquarters building was replaced by the 5th Division Command of the Army, which was located inside Hiroshima Castle. On July 25, 1894, the Navy's First Squadron, which was on alert in the East China Sea, and the Imperial Chinese Navy engaged in a battle, and on the 29th, the Army troops stationed in Kyojo also engaged in the Qing dynasty, effectively Nisshin. The war has begun.
The Emperor Meiji announced the relocation of the Imperial Headquarters to Hiroshima on September 8, and moved from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to Hiroshima Castle on September 13, and the emperor also moved to Hiroshima two days later. Since then, Emperor Meiji will stay in Hiroshima Will be.
With the relocation of the emperor to Hiroshima, all the administrative agencies that accompany it have also moved to Hiroshima . It was decided to do. In addition, the 7th Imperial Assembly was scheduled to be held in October. The event was held after all the members of the Diet were convened in Hiroshima and a temporary capitol was built without returning to Tokyo.
Exactly this time Hiroshima Is the de facto capital of Japan That's how it was.
The Imperial Headquarters of Hiroshima was an emergency measure in an era when communication methods were underdeveloped, but there is no doubt that it is a rare example in history.