<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Korean Empire </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> German New Guinea </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Dutch East Indies </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Straits Settlement </Td> </Tr>

What signaled japan's first step towards building an empire