Japan didn’t open to foreigners until the mid-19th century. Japan quickly realized the situation and began to modernize and westernize as fast as possible. Japan wanted to be strong enough to resist domination of western imperialists who wanted Japan for their own. Japan also wanted to become the strongest Asian country. Japan’s tactics of rapid modernization succeeded, and kept the country and government independent of foreign control.
One reason was the fact that the United States began an embargo on Japan, ending the trade of Japanese weapons. This limited Japan from obtaining more resources in their expansion. Another reason was that Japan needed oil to help keep expanding and raise their economy. The U.S. Navy was in their way, by controlling the Philippines, which is why they thought they needed to get rid of them. Lastly, both Japan and the U.S. did not agree on each other’s ways of running government.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi influenced the Japanese society in many ways One of the biggest ways Toyotomi Hideyoshi changed society is that he unified the whole of Japan. But where it all stared was when he was sent out of his home when he was a boy and became a page to a retainer of the daimyo in the province Tōtōmi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi first rise to power was when he overthrew two powerful daimyos and became the lord of Nagahama. This was a key part to his life because if he didn’t overthrow the daimyos he would still be a page. He then went on to invade the Bitchū province, which gave him a massive place to set up his empire.
(The Japanese become more and more isolated and it was made worse because of the political crisis in Japan) When in May 1832 prime minister Inukia Tsuyoshi was murdered by a right-wing extremist the democratic promise ended. The same year, the 18th of September, did the Japanese army invade Manchuria which in the end would lead to the attack of Pearl Harbor in December 1941. 1933 - In 1933 Japan withdrawal from the League of Nation.
There are many nations that are continuously changing. Japan is one of the nation that is continually changing not only economy, but also the culture. According to the book, “the Western world was increasingly impinging upon Japan..” which result isolation from Europe and American. In the document 19.1 it stated, “We have issued instructions on how to deal with foreign ships on numerous occasions up to the present”. This have shown that the Japanese have isolated from foreign.
In 1938, Japan announced its plan to constitute a new order in East Asia (Doc C). In this new order, the rule of the Japanese emperor would be drawn-out over Earth. This was a driving force for Japan’s invasion because of their ambitious desires. By damaging an American naval base, it gave Japan the ability to also occupy China and Manchuria leading to a rise in their military power (Doc C). Japan’s presence in more of East Asia brought them one step closer to expanding their authority.
According to History.com [3], “Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party, grew into a mass movement and ruled Germany through totalitarian means from 1933 to 1945.” So, during the time of WWII, in the Pacific theater, Nazism was the dominating political system. In Japan (Taisho and Early Showa Period [4]), “During the 1930s, the military established almost complete control over the government.” In the Pacific Theater, Japan was a Militaristic country, so the military controlled almost everything, while the Emperor was more of a figurehead, with little power. These two forms of government are very different.
The Japanese took over several islands in the Pacific to include Guam, Wake Island, New Britain, Gilbert Islands, Malaya, and Singapore to name a few. These actions put the United
Japan’s rich history of power, wealth, and influence had many remarkable eras. One of the more notable periods in Japanese history was that of the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). The Tokugawa Period was talked about in Musui’s Story, an autobiographical book, written by Kokichi Katsu. (Katsu ix) Katsu wrote Musui’s Story for three main reasons: to share how he had transformed from a low-ranking samurai to a well-known hero, to show his sense of self, and to serve as a cautionary tale for his descendants.
- Because I was born in Japan and I grew up in country side society, I will talk about how America’s involvement changed Japanese thoughts towards “outsiders” and foreign countries after the World War II. MacArthur 's held his power of supreme commander for the in Japan from 1945 to 1951. MacArthur managed to implement a number of reforms in postwar Japan, including a new constitution, land reform, and giving women the right to vote, while at the same time encouraging Japan to disarm peacefully and formally renounce any future war plans. By keeping in place the highly respected Emperor Hirohito, he was able to effect a relatively smooth transition to peacetime, creating an economic environment that would make Japan a powerful force by the
From the Kamakura Period of the late twelfth century to the Meiji Restoration in the nineteenth century, the samurai have held prominent positions as noble warriors in Japanese society. They have come to be famous in modern, Western pop culture as the fierce, stoic guards of feudal Japan, but their practices and rituals extended beyond wielding katanas and donning impressive armor. Samurai practices were rich and complex, with strict codes, ritual suicide, and a history of influencing culture and politics (“Samurai”). Samurai code was influenced by traditional Japanese culture, Zen Buddhism, and Confucianism. Bushido, or “Way of the Warrior,” was the code of conduct the samurai class were expected to uphold.
The single greatest change from the Tokugawa Era to the Meiji Era for the peasants, was not their condition of life, nor their status, but the liberation of thought. In the Tokugawa Era, the ruling class insisted on keeping the peasants ignorant, forbidding the peasants from attending school; “A good peasant is one who does not know the price of grain.” After the Meiji restoration, school attendance was compulsory for the peasant children, and many of the males became literate. Many peasants, such as Shibuya Teisuke, could articulate the conditions of the farmers, showing that they were no longer ignorant of their plight. Even so, in the Tokugawa and Meiji Eras, parents resorted to selling their children to survive, demonstrating the unbudging
Imperialism in Japan Background: Japan prior to the Meiji restoration was ruled in a hierarchy very similar to other European countries. The hierarchy was that of lords, samurai and then peasants. The Japanese equivalent to a king at the time was a military dictator called a shogun. During this time the capital was Kyoto and the shogun was part of the Tokugawa clan. That is why this period is referred to as the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Youssef Marakby ID:900130817 Instructor: Richard Byford Rhet 1020 The Samurai’s affect on Japan’s culture For many years, the legendary Japanese samurai warriors showed that they are the most well known class of ancient Japan and also known with their supremacy of honor, service, and duty which the Japanese society still have today. The samurai helped lay the foundations of Japan 's culture.
But also change within the military occurred with the replacement of Samurai authority. Trying to be equal competitors in world power as their Western neighbors. Japan had gotten imperialist ideas from 1853 when the U.S. black ships steamed
