• List of mapsEditor's forewordPreface and acknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroduction1. The first Russo-Japenese confrontation 1894-972. The Far Eastern crisis 1897-983. The road to the open door 1898-19004. Confusion in China5. Manchurian under boxers and Russians6. Japan resists over Manchuria October 1900-19017. After the Peking Protocol July - December 19018. Kurino, Komura and Korea 1902-39. Russo-Chinese convention and its aftermath 1902-310. Japan's search for consensus 190311. Russia's new course and renegotiation with China 190312. Diplomatic inactivity September - November 190313. Final negotiations - climax and beyond14. Final negotiations - an adversarial coda15. International efforts for peace 1903-4ConclusionSelect bibliographyMapsIndex

'Professor Nish's lucid and convincing exposition is diplomatic history at its very best. The Times Higher Education Supplement 'a scholarly and readable account of the complicated story of Russian and Japanese rivalry in the Far East.'Asian Affairs