The Russo-Japanese conflicts were a series of military clashes between the Russian Empire (later the Soviet Union) and the Empire of Japan. These conflicts were mainly driven by territorial disputes and competition for influence in East Asia. The most significant was the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), in which Japan defeated Russia, marking the first time an Asian power triumphed over a European nation in modern warfare. In the 1930s, the two countries engaged in border skirmishes, culminating in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol (1939), where Soviet forces decisively defeated Japan. In August 1945, the Soviet Union invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria, hastening Japan’s surrender in World War II. The legacy of these conflicts continues to affect relations between Russia and Japan, particularly over the disputed Kuril Islands.