noun
Seikanron; 1873 debate on invading Korea
Historical term referring to the 1873 political debate in Japan over whether to conquer Korea by force. Used in discussions of Meiji-era politics.
征韓論は明治初期の外交政策をめぐる重要な論争だった。
The Seikanron was an important debate over foreign policy in the early Meiji period.
From 征 (sei, 'conquer') + 韓 (kan, 'Korea') + 論 (ron, 'debate/argument'). The term is a historical label for the specific 1873 debate.