제1차 세계대전 전후 일본 육군의 재외무관 파견과 정보 수집

Abstract

This paper examines the intelligence activities of the Japanese Army by dispatching military officers abroad and the reactions of the Triple Entente to these activities during and after the First World War. Immediately after the outbreak of the war, Japanese army was reluctant to dispatch its officers. However, since 1915, a large number of military officers have been dispatched every year, and as in 1919, when the largest number of officers were dispatched, the intelligence became more active after the end of the war. Japanese officers were mainly dispatched to France and Great Britain, and artillery and engineering officers, officers-equivalent of each section, and engineers were dispatched to obtain a variety of information. And a large number of officers were dispatched to the United States in 1918 and 1921. The army also emphasized gathering information on the ‘enemy’ Germany. For this reason, it dispatched its officers to neutral countries adjacent to Germany during the war, and made full use of such expedients as concealing the identities of military officers and not giving advance notice in order to avoid opposition from the countries involved. Immediately after the Armistice, the army approached the German side through military attachés to the legation in neutral countries and sound out the possibility of resuming the dispatch of military officers. And with the conclusion of the Treaty of Versailles, it dispatched a large-scale research group to investigate German military industrial technology. On the other hand, the Entente restricted Japanese intelligence activities in their own country more severely than Japanese military attachés to their armies, such as not permitting Japanese officers to inspect domestic military installations and front lines. In particular, the forced dispatch of military officers to neutral countries caused a backlash from the Allies, especially Great Britain. Even after the peace treaty was concluded and the war officially ended, Japanese army was unable to send its officers directly to Germany for a while, considering the Allied sentiments toward Germany. Behind this sharp reaction of the Allies were dissatisfaction with Japan, which was extremely passive about joint operations with the Allies, and rumors of a close relationship between Japan and Germany.