Korea under Japanese rule refers to the period between 1910 and 1945 following the Korean Empire's annexation into the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business officials
began a process of integrating the Korean peninsula's politics and economy with Japan. The Korean Empire, proclaimed in 1897, became a protectorate of Japan with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905; thereafter Japan ruled the country indirectly through the Japanese Resident-General of Korea. Japan formally annexed Korea in 1910 in the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910,
without the consent of the former Korean Emperor Gojong, the regent of the Emperor Sunjong. Upon its annexation, Japan declared that Korea would henceforth be known internationally as Chōsen; the territory was administered by the Governor-General of Chōsen based in Keijō.
Japanese rule prioritized Korea's Japanization, accelerating the industrialization started by during the Gwangmu Reform era of 1897 to 1907, building public works, and fighting the Korean independence movement.