 On April 1, 2007, Jōetsu attained Special city status, which gives it greater local autonomy from the prefectural government.The victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 brought about newfound interest in Japanese military strategy which prompted European powers to send troops to Japan to study new methods of combat.One of the soldiers, an Austro-Hungarian major named Theodore Von Lerch, made a profound difference to the Jōetsu locals as well as the nation itself by introducing the sport of skiing to Japan.