In the 1870s, with Japanese students studying in American universities, some US expansionists started to see Japan as a potential imperial partner, a proxy force through which they could extend greater influence into East Asia.
Sources:
James Bradley, The Imperial Cruise
Chalmers Johnson, The Sorrows of Empire
Gerry Docherty and Jim MacGregor, Hidden History: The Secret Origins of the First World War
Music by: Peritune - Sakuya4 Sakuya4 by
Peritune http://peritune.com/ Creative Commons — CC BY 3.0 https://goo.gl/Yibru5
Donations in support of the show can be made at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZL2DQE3EK446C