Japanese Isolationism In Japan

With the arrival of Commodore Perry in Japan during 1853, he attempted to put an end to Japanese isolationism and provide a successful transition to modernization which led to the eventual Meiji Restoration beginning in 1868. His arrival sparked the eventual signing of several treaties that opened Japanese ports to foreign trade with prominent countries such as the United States, Britain, and France (The Rape of Nanking the Forgotten Holocaust of World War 2, Chang). This trade leads to the increase in foreign currency present in the economy in Japan eventually deflating the value of Japanese currency. Evidence for this lies in the increase in the price of a variety of goods in Japan upsetting the common man and peasantry: "rice up by went up by 270 percent, lamp oil by 300 percent" and many others in addition (Motoyama, 22). However, an underlying cause of

Under the Meiji government, there was a wave of Japanese nationalism that swept the nation with phrases such as "Revere the Emperor!" and "Rich country, strong army". This sense of nationalism also allowed the Japanese government to modernize scientifically, economically, and militarily. After careful study of the United States and European defense systems, the Japanese favored Germany 's. The Japanese adapted the Western ideology of imperialism which involved the occupation of foreign lands in order to seek economic benefit for Japan. This ideology provided the basis for entering both the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars when Japan notably acquired Korea, Taiwan, as well as established a railroad in Manchuria. The Meiji government reached their peak during World War I when the war created "a huge demand for Japanese steel and iron production as well as for Japanese textiles and foreign trade"