The Russo-Japanese War started in 1904 as a result of conflicts over ports in Manchuria and Korea.  When the Japanese military began to run short of troops and money, Japan secretly asked Theodore Roosevelt to help mediate peace discussions with Russia. 

     The Treaty of Portsmouth took place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1905.  The Japanese had several demands that they wished to have met, however, Roosevelt did not allow them everything requested.  In addition, the Russians refused to accept defeat.  After a compromise was met, Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize for settling the Russo-Japanese War. 

     Both the Russians and the Japanese criticized the United States after the Treaty of Portsmouth, each side feeling resentful.  Russia blamed the United States for the first major defeat of a European power by an Asian power, and Japan blamed the United States because it did not receive the indemnity it felt was deserved.  The result was a mutual feeling of distrust between Japan and the United States. It was after this war that the world began to regard Japan as a world power.