France Hill -Desperate War of Japan in the Pacific

France Hill


Nowdays	British red coats in Meiji

In the end of Edo era, Bakufu (Government) opened Yokohama Port near Edo (Tokyo) in 1859. Yokohama was the most important port in Japan among allied powers. Local governments (han) of Japan bought 20 thousands rifles in the Boshin War in Yokohama and Nagasaki where Western merchants sold arms, books, drugs and various products freely under the treaties with 5 powers.

300 French troops of Maghreb infantry and Marines arrived in 1863. The troops and marines settled at Yokohama. The troops staioned on a hill where we called it the France Hill (Yama) in later. The French military advisory group trained Shogun's western style infantry Densyutai. And a French engineer designed a modern shipyard at Uraga in 1866. But Bakufu lost power in the Boshin War, a few French advisors and the rest of Densyutai fled to Ezo(Hokkaido). They planned surprisingly capture of imperial warships in Miyako, but failed.
Naval Battle of Miyako Bay
Maghreb people
3rd Kaihei-hohei rentai
France yama

Troops to Vietnum and Korea

France sent the settled troops to Korea in October 1866 and to Vietnam in 1867. 170 of 300 Marines landed Korea on 16 October^[1]. France was one of big powers and the other was UK in those days. Meiji government negotiated that allied troops would retreat from the foreign settlement. French Army was strong. A few thousand troops conquered Vietnum^[2].

Both of French and British troops left Yokohama on 2 March 1875. Soon later Japan dispatched her infantry to Korea as France did, and stationed Vietnum just before the Pacific War on 28 July 1941. The station triggered Desperate War of Japan in the Pacific.

[1] French Campaign against Korea, 1866
[2] France no shokuminchi shihai