History Essay: Japan & Western interests

[Jon TV]

Hey guys, my history teacher is giving us one take home essay and one in-class essay as the only grades to determine our first semester grades. This is both good and bad, in the sense that it's a gamble and if we do poorly we're all stuck with those grades. Anyway I'd like to get ideas from people who took/are taking the Asian route, or if you don't take that, maybe a simple analysis of what you think.

Here's the prompt

To what extent was Japan a threat to Western interests in the region by 1922?

So right away it's To what extent, which means I have to come to a value judgement on the question, I'm not sure what I'll end up going with here.

Next I'll have to define "Western Interests" and establish what is meant by "The region" and restrain myself from talking past 1922 when the Anglo-Japanese treaty was formally annulled. I'll probably consise Western interests here to colonial expansion for resources/markets and the region being China and Korea.

The hard part is illustrating how Japan was actually a threat to those intrests by 1922. :/

Then maybe at the end of the essay question the prompt (because thats how we get 7s rite?) and suggest that Japan actually wasn't a threat to Western interests prior to the end of the Anglo-Japanese alliance.

I'd like to here what you guys have to say on this topic, thanks.

[under-cover]

It's actually fairly easy to determine how Japan was a threat. Just look at the historical facts to start with, then just come up with an argument (e.g. Japan was not a threat) and show how these historical facts back up your argument. Include some historiography and make sure your essay is very analytical. Make sure you don't start with narrative and then come up with your argument; start analytical and present your argument early and keep it consistent. If you think Japan wasn't a threat, say it and explain why this is true.