During the National Protection War， the southwestern National Protection Army received a certain amount of funding and arms support from Japan. However， this assistance was entirely driven by Japan’s own strategic interests， rather than any genuine sympathy for China’s democratic and republican cause. Moreover， the support did not come directly from the Japanese government； instead， it was primarily funded by private capital， albeit with the encouragement of the Japanese authorities. The financial and military aid provided by Japan to the Southwest National Protection Army mainly included 1 million yen in cash， 28，500 rifles （including 4，000 purchased independently by Yunnan）， 32 guns， and 12 machine guns. In Yunnan， the Japanese weapons arrived in early June 1916， having little impact on the military situation. In Guangdong， the cash provided by Japan did play a certain role in facilitating the eastward advance of the Guangxi army. However， the Japanese weapons and equipment for the National Protection forces in Guangdong and Guangxi did not arrive until late June， playing a role primarily during the “Campaign to Expel Long”驱龙之役. Given that Yuan Shikai袁世凯 canceled the imperial system on March 22 and passed away on June 6， it can hardly be argued that Japanese support for the National Protection Army played a decisive role in the failure of the monarchy movement or Yuan’s eventual downfall.