The Eurasian Triangle. Russia, the Caucasus and Japan, 1904-1945

72 Ë A Lull

tiun, or nationalist party, continued to increase its inuence throughout Armenian

society, especially between 1903 and 1917.⁸¹

In these developments, it is dicult to detect Japan’s presence or direct inuence,

although its indirect inuence stemming from its victory over the Russian Empire in

1905 was a constant factor. While after the war Russia and Japan began drawing nearer

for political reasons, they remained suspicious of each other. Invariably, the Russian

police regarded a constant stream of Japanese visitors to the Caucasus as spies.

81 Suny,Looking toward Ararat, 93.