Cagayan State University

LAL-LO CAMPUS
Sta. Maria, Lal-lo, Cagayan
College of Teacher Education

Japan
transformed from a militaristic spirit
bent on invading other lands and
terrorizing people, into a peaceful
and its industrious nation of great
prosperity. Its resurrection from
terror to prosperous industrialist
came after the most traumatic
experience a nation could ever suffer
— Japan is the only nation bombed
with nuclear Weapons, at Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in1945. The trauma
forced it to surrender; but with Allied
help, it miraculously rose from the
ashes of war to historical heights.
Japan, before China, is the major
economic power in Asia, the second
largest economy in the world, and the
third largest purchasing power. It is
the factory to the world for cars,
ships, electronics, cameras, gadgets,
toys, games, and robots. While China
was closed to the world, Japan was
the most coveted, most familiar face
of Asia to outsiders.

Land and People

 Japanese call their nation Nippon, or Nih0, "Land of the Rising Sun." Other names include
Yamalo, Hinomoto, Zeppen, Jepang, and Giapan. Filipinos refer to it as Hapon. Japan is
an archipelago of 4,233 islands in East Asia. The four main islands are Honshu (the
largest), Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu, which comprise 97% of the land. With an area
of 373,313 sq. km, it is larger than Britain. Japan has a population of 127 million people,
with the highest life expectancy in the world (81.25 years of age). In fact, it has an aging
population, and needs young workers to support its social welfare system. Its social
welfare system is one of the best in the world, but one of its most urgent problems is how
to take care of its aging population. There are many foreign Workers Japan, including
Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans, and Latin Americans. Some of them have married Japanese
and raised families. Nearly all Japanese are mixed Shinto Zen Buddhist. 2% are
Christians. But many do not real practice religion, and numerous Religious cults have
attracted followers, hungry for spiritual enlightenment.
 The climate is temperate. The main islands consist mostly of mountains separated by
narrow valleys; only 17% of the land is arable. Most of the islands are mountainous and
volcanic, including Mount Fuji. Japan s highest peak. There are about active volcanoes.
Japan lies within the Ring of fire of the Pacific, and is shaken by about 2,000 earthquakes
a year, most of them mild. The most devastating earthquake occurred on September 1,
1923, destroying 375.000 homes and buildings and killing 143,000 people in Tokyo.
Tokyo, the capital, has a population of 30 million and is the largest city in the world.

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Sta. Maria, Lal-lo, Cagayan
College of Teacher Education
Kyoto, the old capital, is the center of classic Japancsc culture. The chief ports are Osaka,
Yokohama and Kobe.
 Japanese aborigines, called Ainus, originally inhabited Japan. Later, the Mongolians from
the north and the Malays from the south gradually pushed the Ainus to Hokkaido and
occupied the major islands. Out of this blending of the Ainus, Mongolians and Malays
came the Japanese race.
 Japanese are naturally polite, dignified, clean, industrious, disciplined, and highly
nationalistic. Nippongo is the national language. Many Japanese have won Nobel prizes in
literature, physics, chemistry and medicine, but none in peace.

Brief History of Japan

Ancient Japan

 The First Japanese

Human beings have lived in Japan for at least 30,000 years. During the last ice age
Japan was connected to mainland Asia by a land bridge and stone-age hunters were able to
walk across. When the ice age ended about 10,000 BC Japan became a group of islands.
About 8,000 BC the ancient Japanese learned to make pottery. The period from
8,000 BC to 300 BC is called the Jomon. The word Jomon means 'cord marked' because
those people marked their pottery by wrapping cord around it. The Jomon people lived by
hunting, fishing and collecting shellfish. The Jomon made tools of stone, wood and bone.
They also made clay figurines of people and animals called dogu.
Between 300 BC and 300 AD a new era began in Japan. At that time the Japanese learned
to grow rice. They also learned to make tools of bronze and iron. The Japanese also
learned to weave cloth.
This period is called Yayoi. (It was named after a village called Yayoicho).
Farming meant a more settled lifestyle. Yayoi people lived in villages of wooden huts.
Farming and other skills also meant society became divided into classes. The leaders of
Yayoi society were buried in mounds away from the ordinary people's burial grounds.

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LAL-LO CAMPUS
Sta. Maria, Lal-lo, Cagayan
College of Teacher Education

Articles of the Jomon Period

 The Kofun Period in Japan
The Yayoi period was followed by the Kofun (from 300 AD to 710 AD). At this time
Japan gradually became united. The rich and powerful men of the era were buried in vast tombs
called Kofun. Clay figures called haniwa were placed around the tombs to guard them. At that
time Japan was heavily influenced by China. About 400 AD writing was introduced into Japan
from China. The Japanese also learned to make paper from the Chinese. They also learned to make
porcelain, silk and lacquer. The Japanese also learned to plan cities in the Chinese way.
According to tradition in 552 AD, the king of Paekche in Korea sent priests to convert
Japan to Buddhism. The native Japanese religion is called Shinto, which means 'the way of the
gods'. Shinto teaches that spirits are present everywhere in nature. Every natural phenomena such
as a mountain, lake, tree, waterfall and even rock has a spirit. Shinto does not have prophets or a
sacred book but its teachings were passed on in myths. Shinto has many ceremonies and festivals.
The two religions, Buddhism and Shinto co-existed peacefully in Japan. Shinto is more concerned
with this life and its followers frequently pray for things they need or desire. Buddhism is more
concerned with what happens after death. Most of the Japanese were happy to practice both
religions.
Furthermore, in the 7th century AD the emperor became more powerful. Prince Shotoku
(574-622) ruled as regent to Empress Suiko. He was a patron of the arts and learning. He brought
scholars from China and Korea to Japan and he adopted the Chinese calendar.
Shotoku also built the Horyuji Buddhist temple and monastery in 607. It burned down in
670 but it was rebuilt and became a center of Buddhist learning. Today they are the world's oldest
surviving wooden structures.
After him, in 646, a series of reforms were made known as the Taika. From then on all land in
Japan belonged to the emperor. Peasants were made to pay taxes to the emperor either in goods
like rice or cloth or in labor by working on building sites or by serving as soldiers. In 670 a census
was held to find out how many taxpayers there were. By the late 7th century Japan was a
centralized and highly civilized kingdom.
At that time the capital of Japan was moved when an emperor died as people believed it
was unlucky to stay in the same place afterwards. However following the Chinese custom the
Japanese decided to create a permanent capital. They built a city at Nara in 710. At that time Japan
was divided into provinces. In 713 the governor of each Japanese province was ordered to write a
report about his province. The reports described the products of each province as well as its plants,
animals and other resources.
However, in the 8th century Buddhist monks and priests began to interfere in politics. So
in 784 Emperor Kammu (737-806) decided to move his capital. Eventually in 794 he moved to
Heian-Kyo, which means 'capital of peace'. Later the city's name changed to Kyoto and it
remained the official capital of Japan till 1868.

Articles of the Kofun Period

 The Heian Period in Japan

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LAL-LO CAMPUS
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The era from 794 to 1185 is called the Heian period. During this period the arts and
learning flourished. About 1000 Ad Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote the world's first novel The Tale
of Genji a story about the life of a prince called Genji. Another book from that time is a diary
written by a lady in waiting named Sei Shonagon. It is called The Pillow Book.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of the 9th century, Dengo Daishi founded the Tendai sect of
Buddhism. Slightly later Kobo Daishi founded the Shingon sect. Meanwhile in the late 7th century
an aristocratic family called the Fujiwara became very powerful. They had an increasing influence
on Japanese politics.
Moreover, outside Kyoto the emperor's power grew weaker. Rich landowners became
increasingly powerful and they employed private armies. (Japanese warriors were called Samurai).
In feudal Japan the Samurai were hereditary warriors who followed a code of behavior called
bushido. Samurai were supposed to be completely loyal and self-disciplined. Rather than be
captured by the enemy samurai were supposed to commit suicide by disemboweling themselves.
This was called seppuku. Samurai fought with long swords called katana and short swords called
wakizashi. They also used spears called yari and daggers called tanta. Samurai also had skewers
called kogai and small knives called kozuka.
The main piece of armor to protect a samurai’s torso was called a haramaki. It had skirts
called kasazuri to protect the lower torso. A samurai’s helmet was called a kabuto. A kabuto had
neck guards called shikoro. It sometimes had a crest called a kasjirushi. The neck was also
protected by a piece called the nowdawa. Samurai also wore masks called mempo. They wore
armored sleeves called kote to protect their arms.
Eventually in 1180 civil war broke out between rival powerful families in Japan. On one side were
the Taira family (also called the Heike). On the other side were the Minamoto family (also called
the Genepi). The Minamoto were supported by the Fujiwara. They were led by two brothers
Yoritomo and Yoshitsune. The Taira were finally defeated by the Minamoto in a naval battle at
Dannoura in 1185.

Articles of the Heian Period

 JAPAN IN THE MIDDLE AGES

In 1192 the emperor gave Yoritomo the title Sei Tai Shogun, which means
barbarian conquering great general. The shogun became the real power in Japan ruling in

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College of Teacher Education
the emperor's name. This new form of government was called bakufu, which means tent
government as generals gave commands from their tents during wartime.
After Yoritomo's death two of his sons ruled Japan in turn. However the second
son was assassinated in 1219. Power then passed to Yoritomo's wife's family, the Hojo.
Afterwards Japan had an emperor, who was only a figurehead, a Shogun and a Hojo
regent ruling on behalf of the shogun.
In the 13th and 14th centuries town and trade in Japan grew and merchants became
wealthy. They organised themselves into guilds. Also at this time Zen Buddhism became
popular. Zen emphasizes meditation. Some followers meditate by trying to empty their
minds of all worldly thoughts and desires. Others meditate on riddles called Koan such as
'what is the sound of one hand?'. Zen had a tremendous influence on arts like gardening
and flower arranging. (Japanese flower arranging is called Ikebana and from the 15th
century it developed into a sophisticated art).
Also at this time the tea ceremony evolved in Japan. According to tradition a monk
named Eisai (1141-1215) brought tea seeds from China in 1191. He believed that tea
helped monks remain alert when they were meditating. To maintain the calm mood the tea
was prepared slowly and carefully. Gradually the process of making and drinking tea in a
peaceful and relaxing environment spread to the nobility and merchants. Finally in the late
16th century the tea ceremony or cha-no-yu was developed into its modern form by Sen
no Rikuyu (1522-1519).
In the middle of this era the Mongols tried to conquer Japan. They sent fleets in
1274 and 1281. In 1274 the Mongols landed but withdrew when their fleet was
endangered by a storm. In 1281 the Mongols landed again. For seven weeks they held a
bridgehead in Japan but again their fleet was scattered by a typhoon. The Japanese called
it Kamikaze, which means divine wind.
Fighting the Mongols cost a great deal of money. That in turn meant high taxes
and inevitably the government became deeply unpopular. Meanwhile the emperor Go-
Daigo was not content to be a mere figurehead and in 1333 he raised an army to fight the
Hojo. The Hojos sent a force under a general named Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358).
However Takauji changed sides. He joined forces with Emperor Go-Daigo and the Hojos
committed suicide. However GoDaigo and Ashikaga Takauji soon quarreled. In 1336
Takauji led a rebellion. Go-Daigo fled to Yoshino. Takauji created a rival emperor in
Kyoto and ruled as shogun. So until 1392 Japan had two emperors.

 The Muromachi Period in Japan

The era from 1333 to 1573 is called the Muromachi period because the Ashikaga
family ruled from the Muromachi district of Kyoto. During the Muromachi period Noh
theater developed in Japan. Actors were masks and perform on a bare stage with a painted
backdrop. Musicians accompany the actors.
Furthermore, two great monuments survive from the Muromachi period, the
Kinkaku-ji and the Ginkaku-ji, (gold and silver pavilions) in Kyoto.
However in 1466 the Ashikaga family argued over who would be the next shogun. The
argument became the Onin War from 14671477. The fighting took place mostly in and
around Kyoto and much of the city was destroyed. By the end of the 15th century central
authority had virtually disappeared. While there was still an emperor he was only a
figurehead and Japan was afflicted by a long series of civil wars as rival landowners,
called daimyos, fought for power.

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 The Portuguese arrive in Japan
In 1542 the Portuguese arrived in Japan. Two Portuguese were passengers on a
Chinese ship that landed at Tanegashima Island. The Portuguese were keen to trade with
the Japanese and they soon returned. Very quickly the Japanese learned to make guns
from the Portuguese. The Portuguese also brought tobacco and sweet potatoes to Japan.
They also brought clocks. The Japanese called the Portuguese namban, which means
southern barbarians because they sailed to Japan from the south.
In 1549 Jesuit missionaries led by Francis Xavier arrived in Japan and attempted to
convert the Japanese to Roman Catholicism. At first the Japanese tolerated them. In 1571
Nagasaki was founded to trade with the Europeans and it became a center of missionary
activity.
Meanwhile Japanese warfare was radically changed by the introduction of
handguns and cannons. A warlord called Oda Nobunaga quickly learned to use the new
weapons and in 1569 he captured the port of Sakai. In 1575 he won a great victory at
Nagashino. By the time he died in 1582 he controlled central Japan.
Oda Nobunaga was assassinated in 1582 but his general Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598)
avenged his death and continued the work of reuniting Japan. In 1587 he subdued the
southern island of Kyushu and by 1590 he had also conquered eastern Japan. Toyotomi
then attempted to conquer Korea. However he failed and the Japanese withdrew in 1598.
Toyotomi died shortly afterwards.
Toyotomi wanted his son Hideyori to succeed him. Before he died Toyotomi
persuaded his general Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) to promise to support his son.
However Ieyasu soon broke his promise and seized power for himself. In 1600 he crushed
his rivals at Sekigahara although Hideyori survived. In 1603 Ieyasu was made shogun and
in 1615 his forces captured Osaka castle, Hideyori's stronghold. Hideyori killed himself.
Japan was now united under a strong central government and the Tokugawa family ruled
as shoguns until 1868.

 The Tokugawa Period in Japan

During the Tokugawa period Japanese society was strictly divided. At the top were
the daimyo, the landowners. Below them were the samurai, hereditary warriors. Below
them came the farmers, the craftsmen then the merchants. (The merchants were at the
bottom because they did not make anything. However in reality many merchants became
very rich).
Meanwhile, in 1600 a badly damaged Dutch ship landed in Japan. On board was
an Englishman, William Adams (1564-1620). He was taken to Ieyasu, who questioned
him. Adams showed the Japanese how to build two European style ships. He also married
a Japanese woman and lived in Japan until his death.
In 1609 another Dutch ship arrived in Japan. The shogun granted the Dutch the right to
trade with Japan. In 1613 an English ship came the shogun gave them too the right to
trade. Meanwhile Japanese merchants sailed to Thailand and the Philippines (a Spanish
colony). In 1610 a Japanese merchant called Tanaka Shosuke sailed to Mexico.
However despite trading with foreigners the Japanese began persecuting Christians. The
government feared Christians were a threat to Japan's internal security. In 1597 Toyotomi
Hideyoshi had 26 Christians including 9 European missionaries, crucified in Nagasaki. In
1612 Christianity was banned altogether in Japan and persecution of Christians grew
worse and worse. Finally in 1637 Christians in the Shimbara area rebelled. However in
1638 the rebellion was crushed and Christians were massacred.

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The Japanese government then shut their country off from the rest of the world. Between
1633 and 1639 laws were passed forbidding the Japanese to travel abroad or to build
ocean-going ships. Only the Chinese and the Dutch were allowed to trade with Japan. In
1641 the Dutch were restricted to an island in Nagasaki Harbor called Dejima. This policy
of isolating Japan was called sakoku.
However Japan did not cut itself off from the outside world completely. Dutch books were
still imported and the Japanese ruling class were quite well informed of what was
happening in the outside world.
The Tokugawa government went to great lengths to maintain order. They directly
controlled about one quarter of the land in Japan. Around their land they gave estates to
trusted daimyos. Land around the edges of Japan was given to their former enemies. The
Tokugawa also employed spies to watch powerful families in Japan.
The arts flourished during the Tokugawa period. So did trade and commerce. However
Japan was not entirely peaceful. There were many peasant rebellions. Nevertheless
samurai were less useful than in former times and many became ronin or samurai without
masters.
In the late 17th century Kabuki theater developed in Japan. Male actors play the
female roles and actors are accompanied by music and singing. The martial art of kendo
developed into its modern form in the late 18th century. It was derived from samurai
training but practitioners use bamboo staves instead of swords.
By 1853 the Western powers wanted Japan to open her market to their goods. The
Americans also wanted to use Japan as a coaling station for steam ships. So in July 1853 4
American ships commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Japanese waters
near Edo. Perry handed over a message asking for trading rights, coaling ports and
protection for shipwrecked sailors. Perry warned he would return next year with a much
larger force. He returned in February 1854 with 9 ships.
Japan's armed forces were in no state to resist so the shogun agreed to open two ports to
American ships. By 1856 France, Britain, the Netherlands and Russia had also forced
Japan to sign similar treaties. In 1858 the Americans forced the Japanese to open more
ports to trade. Britain, France and Russia forced Japan to sign similar treaties. The treaties
stated that the Japanese could only charge low import duties on imported goods.
Furthermore foreign citizens were exempt from Japanese law.

JAPAN IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY

 The Meiji Restoration
Not surprisingly the humiliating treaties were bitterly resented by the Japanese
who called them unequal treaties. Furthermore the shogun lost face because of his
weakness. Many Japanese thought that Japan would only be strong if the shongunate was
abolished and the emperor was restored to power. Some Japanese wanted to resist the
foreigners. Others wanted to copy western technology. Opinion was bitterly divided.
Finally in 1868 there was a short civil war. Pro-emperor and proshogun forces
clashed at Fushimi and the pro-emperor force won. Afterwards the Emperor Meiji and his
followers were determined to modernize Japan. And they succeeded. In an astonishingly
short period of time Japan was transformed from a primitive, agricultural country to a
modern industrial one.
The government encouraged industrialization with loans and grants.
Soon many new industries such as shipbuilding were flourishing. In 1870 the first
mechanized silk mill opened in Japan. Also in 1870 a telegraph was laid between Tokyo

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(as Edo was renamed) and Yokohama. A railway was built between them in 1872.
Meanwhile in 1871 private armies kept by daimyos were abolished. Many samurai joined
the new national army. The same year the first Japanese newspaper was published.
In 1872 compulsory education was introduced in Japan. The same year conscription was
introduced. In 1878 the Japanese army was reformed to be like the German army. The
Japanese navy was modeled on the British navy. In 1873 Japan adopted the Western
calendar. The same year a land tax was introduced and the emperor and empress began
wearing Western clothes. In 1889 the Emperor Meiji granted a constitution based on the
German one. Japan gained a parliament called a diet but only a small minority of men
were allowed to vote.
However, these rapid changes were not popular with everyone. In 1877, samurai led by
Saigo Takamori (1827-1877) rebelled in Satsuma. A conscript army led by Marshal
Yamagata crushed the rebellion. Afterwards the samurai lost their privileges and most
were forced to take civilian jobs.
In 1894 Japan and Korea quarreled over Korea. China regarded Korea as being
under its 'influence' and in 1894 sent troops into that country. The Japanese objected and
went to war. The SinoJapanese war was a stunning victory for Japan. The Japanese
quickly drove the Chinese out of Korea and captured Port Arthur. By the Treaty of
Shimonoseki in 1895 Japan gained Formosa (Taiwan) and Port Arthur. China was also
forced to pay a large indemnity and to refrain from interfering in Korean politics.
However Russia, France and Germany forced Japan to give back Port Arthur.

JAPAN IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Then on 30 January 1902 Japan signed a treaty with Britain. Both agreed to help
the other if they were attacked by two other countries. Meanwhile Russia was increasing
her influence in
Manchuria, which brought her into conflict with Japan. On 9 February 1904 the
Japanese navy sank two Russian ships at Port Arthur (Russia had leased this Chinese port
in 1898). The Japanese then laid siege to Port Arthur but they took 5 months to capture it.
Nevertheless the Japanese army gradually advanced in Manchuria and on 27 May 1905
the Japanese navy won a complete victory at Tsushima. The Americans mediated between
Russia and Japan and the two signed the Treaty of Portsmouth in September 1905. Japan
gained Port Arthur and the southern part of Sakhalin. Japan also gained great prestige. She
was the first Asian power to defeat a European power.
Then, in 1910 Japan annexed Korea. Furthermore by 1911 all foreign countries
had agreed to abolish the 'unequal treaties' of the 1850s. By the time Emperor Meiji died
in 1912 Japan was a power to be reckoned with.
When the First World War began Japan joined Britain's side. Japan took German colonies
in Asia. However after the war Japan's growing economic and political power brought her
into conflict with the USA.
In 1921, the Washington Conference was held. Britain and the USA pressed Japan
to accept a naval treaty. For every 5 tons of warship Britain and the USA had in the
Pacific Japan was allowed 3. So the Western powers were determined to keep Japan in her
place. Then on 1 September 1923 an earthquake devastated Tokyo. After the actual tremor
fire swept through the city. About 107,000 people died. In 1924 Japan suffered another
'slap in the face' when the USA banned immigration from Japan.
In 192, Hirohito became emperor. In the first years of Hirohito's reign the Japanese
economy did well but in 1929 the world entered a severe recession. Meanwhile Japan had

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an army stationed in Manchuria around Port Arthur. The Japanese also controlled much of
the Manchurian economy. The Japanese army thought Japan should take over Manchuria
and in 1931 the army engineered a takeover. Japan controlled a railway running through
Manchuria. On 18 September 1931 an explosion near Muckden damaged it.
Japanese troops claimed they saw Chinese troops running away.
The Japanese army then acted independently and seized Muckden. In December
1931 the army took over all of Manchuria. The Japanese government could not stop them.
Meanwhile, the Chinese emperor had been overthrown in 1911. In
1932 he was made puppet ruler of Manchuria, which was renamed Manchuko. However
the real power in the region was the Japanese army. Japanese politicians were powerless to
stop the generals.
The Japanese army gradually took control of Japan. Civilian politicians were still
the nominal rulers but the army held real power. Politicians were too weak to resist them.
Many in the army pressed for expansion into China. In 1936 China was forced to
accept Japanese occupation of an area of China called Fengtai near Beijing. Tension then
grew between Japanese and Chinese troops in that region and on 7 July 1937 fighting
broke out. Japan rushed troops to the area and soon it became a full scale invasion of
China, although there was no formal declaration of war. In December 1937 the Japanese
captured Nanking and massacred civilians.
Then in July 1941 Japanese troops occupied French Indo-China.
The USA objected, fearing Japan was a threat to its interests in the Pacific. The
USA banned exports of oil to Japan. Japan imported 80% of her oil from the USA and was
faced with the choice between a humiliating climb-down and war. The Japanese chose
war.
Japan sent a force of aircraft carriers and on 7 December 1941 they attacked the
US Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese sank many ships but vitally they missed
several American aircraft carriers that were at sea.
At first the Japanese had amazing success. In February 1942 they captured
Singapore the main British base in the Far East. In the months January to May 1942 they
also captured the Philippines and most of Indonesia. However the tide turned at the battle
of Midway Island in May 1942 when they lost 4 aircraft carriers.
In January-February 1943 the Japanese were forced to evacuate Guadalcanal and
in August 1943 they were defeated by the Australians in New Guinea. Meanwhile in June
1943 the Americans began submarine warfare and Japanese shipping suffered terrible
losses. The Americans also began a campaign of 'island hopping'. They attacked certain
Pacific Islands held by the Japanese and left others nearby to 'wither on the vine'. The
Japanese suffered a severe naval defeat at Leyte Gulf in October 1944. Meanwhile a
British army from India pushed the Japanese back into Burma. In the end Japan was
defeated by the USA's overwhelming industrial strength.
From March 1945 Japanese kamikaze pilots flew suicide missions, deliberately
crashing into American ships. But it was to no avail. In June 1945 the Americans captured
Okinawa. Meanwhile American bombing was destroying Japanese cities. On 26 July 1945
Truman and Churchill demanded Japan surrender and threatened the Japanese with
'prompt and utter destruction' if they did not. Japan refused.
On 6 August 1945 an American bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima. On 9 August another was dropped on Nagasaki.
Japan capitulated on 15 August 1945. An official surrender document was signed
on 2 September. Following the Japanese surrender the Americans occupied Japan. General

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MacArthur led the US troops. Under him 7 Japanese war criminals were hanged including
wartime Prime Minister Tojo Hideki.

 JAPAN IN THE LATE 20TH CENTURY

The emperor publicly announced that he was not divine and in 1946 the Americans
drew up a new constitution for Japan. Women were allowed to vote. The constitution also
contained a clause renouncing the 'threat or use of force as a means of settling
international disputes'. In 1951 a peace treaty was signed in San Francisco and the
American occupation ended in 1952. However the Treaty of Mutual Co-operation and
Security gave the USA the right to keep bases in Japan. Furthermore the island of
Okinawa was occupied until 1972. Meanwhile the Korean War began in 1950. It provided
a boost to Japanese industry and by 1954 Japanese industrial production was back to 1939
levels.
In 1955 the Liberal Democratic Party took power and it ruled Japan for most of the
period from 1955 to 2009.
Meanwhile, during the 1950s and 1960s the Japanese economy boomed. Japanese
industry exported huge numbers of electronic goods and vehicles. The Japanese people
saw a great improvement in their standard of living. Rapid economic growth in Japan
continued during the 1970s and 1980s while much of the rest of the world was mired in
recession.
However, in the 1990s the period of rapid economic growth ended and a long
recession began, although Japan remained a rich country. Worse in 1995 the city of Kobe
was devastated by an earthquake. Meanwhile Emperor Hirohito died in 1989 and was
succeeded by Emperor Akihito.

Answer the following:

1. Make a timeline of Japan using the table below.

Year Accomplishments/Activities/Events Happened

c. 8,000 BC o People in Japan begin making pottery. They live by

hunting, fishing and collecting shellfish.

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2. What do you think is the reason why Japan became one of the most powerful and advanced
country in the world? Cite some examples to further explain your answer.

3. Describe each period of the History of Japan.

Note: You can consult other books/references in answering the questions……

Lecture Notes in Asian Studies BSEd I – Social Science