Japan's Victories in the Early Stages of the Russo-Japanese War

Japan's victories in the early stages of the Russo-Japanese War were especially stunning because

A) it was the first time in many centuries that a non-European nation had defeated a European great power.
B) the United States had provided strong support to Russia before the war.
C) Russia had by far the larger and more sophisticated naval forces.
D) Japan had previously been bogged down in a war in China's Manchuria province.
E) None of these choices are correct.