The Russian-Japanese war of 1904 was a European conflict that was fought because one country was becoming too strong. fought because two separate countries had their own special interests in far east countries like Korea, China, and Manchuria. Britain and Japan recognized the independance of China and Korea, but at the same time authorized each other to intervene in either territory if their own "special interests" were threatened by another power or by internal disorder. That power was now Russia. There was already a rivalry going on between Britain and Russia because of the Trans-Siberian railway but now there was