The History of Japan

A land richly steeped in history and culture, legendeventually established in 1889. These new
attributes the creation of Japan to the sunreforms also prompted Japan to take steps to
goddess Amaterasu, whose claim to the throneexpand their empire, and a brief war with China in
by her grandson Emperor Jimmu in 660 B.C, was1894 enabled them to acquire Taiwan, the
a traditional belief that constituted officialPescadores Islands, and part of southern
recognition until 1945. The first indication ofManchuria. War broke out again with Russia in
recorded history in Japan was around the year1904, with Japan ultimately gaining the territory of
A.D. 400, when the ambitious Yamato clan basedsouthern Karafuto, with Russian port and rail
in Kyoto was successful in gaining control overrights in Manchuria also being forfeited to the
several other key family groups in central andconquering Japanese forces. Their expansion
western Japan. The next several centuries werecontinued with the onset of World War One, as
kept under the tight reign of this powerful clan,they successfully took control of Germany's
who succeeded in creating an imperial court similarPacific islands, and the subsequent Treaty of
to that of China, and whose authority wasVersailles that followed granted Japan mandate
eventually undermined by influentialaristocraticover the islands. Japan attended the peace
families who vied for control. Also emerging in theconference in Versailles with a new image as one
same period were elite warrior clans referred toof the great military and industrial powers, and
as samurai, a strong military force that eventuallywas recognized as one of the "Big Five" of the
took control in 1192 under their leader Y orimoto,new international order. In just a few decades,
who was designated as the supreme militaryEmperor Meiji's new reforms which significantly
leader known as Shogun. The imperial court whoaltered the social, educational, economic, military,
had ruled for centuries was now resigned topolitical, and industrial structure of the country,
taking a relatively obscure role in internal affairs,transformed Japan into a viable world power.
as a succession of Shoguns from various clansAs Japan's eye for expansion became increasingly
ruled Japan for the next 700 years. Contact withmore apparent, the invasion of inner Chinese
the West was initially made in 1542, when aManchuria in 1931 set the stage for the ensuing
Portuguese ship apparently off course arrived inyears of war that followed. The incident brought
Japanese territory, and an array of Spanish,with it international condemnation, resulting in
Dutch, English, and Portuguese traders andJapan resigning from the League of Nations in
missionaries soon followed. Trade was eventually1933. Fueled by an expansionist military, the
prohibited during the beginning of the Tokugawasecond Sino Japanese War began in 1937, which
period (1603-1867) due to the Shogun's suspicionsresulted in the signing of the Axis Pact of 1940
that traders and missionaries were actuallybetween Japan and its new allies Germany and
forerunners of a military conquest from the west.Italy. The infamous attack against the U.S. at Pearl
All foreigners were subsequently expelled fromHarbor on December 7, 1941 marked the
the country, with the exception of Dutch andbeginning of Japanese involvement in World War
Chinese merchants restricted to the island ofTwo, and subsequently to their ultimate defeat in
Dejima in Nagasaski Bay. Attempts from the1945 by U.S. Forces. General Douglas MacArthur
West to renew trade were futile until 1853, whenwas appointed commander of the U.S. occupation
Commodore Matthew Perry entered Tokyo Bayof postwar Japan, and in 1947 a new constitution
with an American fleet known as the "Blacktook effect, followed by a security treaty
Ships." The ships were named in reference to thebetween the two nations in 1951 that allowed U.S.
color of their hulls, and to the black clouds oftroops to be stationed in Japan. Japan regained full
smoke that hovered over the steam driven coalsovereignty in 1952, and the Ryukyu islands
burning vessels. Perry's show of superior militaryincluding Okinawa which were seized during the
force enabled him to negotiate a treaty withwar were returned to Japan in 1972. Japan's
Japan that opened the doors to trade with thepostwar economic recovery was nothing short of
West, thus ending many years of self imposedmiraculous, and it's success in part was spurred
isolation.by economic intervention through the Japanese
Contact with the West proved to be the catalystMinistry of International Trade and Industry which
for a radical restructuring of Japanese society onwas instrumental in coordinating and organizing the
several levels. The Shogunate which had retainedcooperation of manufactures, distributors,
control for hundreds of years was forced tosuppliers, and banks into closely knit groups called
disband, with the emperor being restored tofiretruck. Additional incentive among workers who
power in 1868. The period that followed is knownwere guaranteed lifetime employment, along with
as the "Meiji Restoration" and among the manyhighly unionized blue collar factories ensured a
changes it initiated was the abolishment of thehighly motivated work force, eventually making
feudal system. Numerous policies were adoptedJapan the world's second largest economy in the
based on the Western legal system, and a quasiworld.
parliamentary constitutional government was