... Early History : Japan culturally under heavy influence from Korea. Buddhism (5th century) and Confucianism transmitted to Japan via Korea.
Both never gain the status of 'state religion' respectively 'state philosophy'. SHINTOISM Japanese national religion; TENNO (Emperor head of
state. Periods : Nara Period 710-782, Heian Period (794-1192, cap. Kyoto), 1192-1333 Kamakura Period, Shogunate - Tenno reduced to
representative figure; shogun makes political decisions.
... Relation to China : unlike Korea, Japan does not accept Chinese supremacy. Japanese pirates raid Chinese, Korean coast again and
again over centuries.
1274, 1281 Mongol invasions failed. Marco Polo's mentioning of temples with golden roofs in Cipangu (= Japan, refering to a temple with roof
covered by gold-leaf, in Kyoto) motivates Queen Isabella of Spain to finance Columbus' expedition and motivates thousands of Spanish
conquistadores in their search for legendary El Dorado.
... First Contacts with the West
In the 16th century Japan split in a number of rival camps, led by Daimyos, competing for power, aiming for the shogunate.
..... Portuguese, Spanish arrive, want to trade, support missionaries. Japanese get access to western gun technology, which influences
Japanese civil war. Toyotomi Hideyoshi achieves SHOGUNATE, reunification of Japan, invades Korea.
..... Dutch, English arrive, trade. In 1641 all foreigners except the Dutch excluded; Dutch have the right to send one ship / year, to Nagasaki.
Japan-trade highly profitable for the Dutch. The Japanese run a translation school, translating Dutch and French books into Japanese
(RANGAKU).
..... Under Hideyoshi's successor TOKUGAWA IEYASU Japan isolates itself, gives up policy of expansion. TOKUDAWA SHOGUNATE.
Christians are persecuted.
... Opening and Modernization
..... 1853/54 expedition of COMMODORE PERRY (US), negotiates opening Japan for international trade. Among the newly opened free ports
YOKOHAMA.
..... 1868 coup d'etat, shogun disempowered, parliamentary democracy introduced. MEIJI RESTORATION. The Japanese adapt the French
Code Napoleon, later to replace it by a law code based on German law (it provided preferential treatment for nobility, while French law was
egalitarian).
..... imitation of western technology. One of the first internationally competitive products made in Japan was the piano.
..... policy of expansion : 1876 annexion of Ryukyus, 1876 Kurils; early plans to annex Korea ("a dagger pointed at Japan")
... Japan a Great Power
..... 1894/95 Sino-Japanese War, Japan emerges victorious, gains Taiwan; China gives up supremacy over Korea, accepts presence of
Japanese troops in Manchuria.
..... 1897 diplomatic offensive of French, Germans, Russians : Japanese give up position in Manchuria, face Russians as counterweight in
Korea.
..... 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance : Britain allies itself with Japan to counter growing Russian influence in the region; aid Japanese in
modernizing their fleet.
..... 1904/05 Russo-Japanese war, Japanese victorious, establish protectorate over Korea, regain sphere of interest in S. Manchuria, also
gain Karafuto (s. Sakhalin)
..... 1914 World War I breaks out, Japan declares War on Germany, occupies most of G.'s Pacific colonies - Kiauchow, Marianas, Carolines,
Marshall Islands.
... Between the Wars
..... 1921 under int'l pressure, Japan returns Kiauchow to China
..... 1932/33 Japan, angry over Chiang Kai Shek toppling Chinese warlord Chang Tso Lin (Manchuria, 1926) whom they supported, establish
puppet state of MANCHUKUO. Emperor PU YI (last emperor) only a puppet, state run by Japanese.
..... 1937 Sino-Japanese War begins; NANJING MASSACRE. Japanese establish puppet government of China (Wang Ching Wei), occupy
much of lowland China.
... World War II
..... 1937 Japan signs Axis Pact with Germany.
..... 1938 border war with USSR in Mongolia; Japanese offensive fails.
..... 1940 French Vichy-administration permits stationing of Jap. troops in Indochina (purpose : cut supply lines of Nat'l Chinese govt. in Chungking)
..... 1941 Dec. 7th Pearl Harbor - attack without declaration of war disables US fleet. Japanese occupy Philippines, Hongkong,
Dutch East Indies, Malaya, N. Borneo, Singapore, Burma. Important as suppliers of nat. resources (oil, rubber), food (Java : 4 harvests/year),
forced labour. Propagandistic euphemism : Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan claims to liberate SE Asians from colonial rule.
..... War atrocities - mistreatment of P.O.W.s, massacres, comfort women, biological experiments, forced labour.
..... US Admiral C. Nimitz : ISLAND HOPPING STRATEGY : Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. US takes control of sky and of the
sea. Many isolated Japanese outposts are circumvented.
..... nuclear bomb thrown on Hiroshima (Aug. 6th) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9th) to end war, reduce US losses. USSR declares war on Japan
Aug. 15th; Japan surrenders Sept. 2nd.
..... USSR annexes s. Sakhalin, Kurils; China annexes Taiwan; US occupies Ryukyus, S. Korea, USSR N. Korea. Japan placed under Allied
(US/Commonwealth) occupation.
... Post-war Japan
..... Japanese constitution reformed, army abolished (they do have so-called self-defense forces).
..... During Korean war (1950-53) Japanese economy boomed.
..... Japanese industry made quick progress, caught up with int'l competition and, in many branches, established domination of market (cameras,
electronics, later cars, computers). Olympic Games Tokyo 1968 and Expo 1970 Osaka mark int'l recognition of Japan as economic
superpower.
This page is part of World History at KMLA Last revised on June 28th 2001
