Civilizations in East Asia

At the end of the term, the learners are

expected to:

• Assess the different civilizations in the East Asia in terms of

Chronological events and their influence in terms of cultural and
religious aspects.

• Critique on multiplicity of Asian religions in terms of

societal applications particularly China and Japan.

• Identify the commonality in terms philosophy and

sociology in search for existential reality between Buddhism and
Confucianism.
East Asia is a large expanse
of territory with China as its
largest country. The countries
of Mongolia, North and South
Korea, and Japan are China’s
neighbors. The island of
Taiwan, off the eastern coast
of China, has an independent
government that has been
separated from mainland
China since shortly after
World War II.
On the southern coast of
China is Hong Kong, a
former British possession
with one of the best ports
in Asia. Under an
agreement of autonomy,
Hong Kong and its port
were turned over to the
Chinese government in
1997.
Japan has emerged as
the economic dragon of
East Asia. Japanese
people have a high
standard of living, and
the country has been an
industrial and financial
engine for the Pacific
Rim. Up and coming
economic tigers like
Singapore, Hong Kong,
Taiwan, and South Korea
have also experienced
strong economic growth
and are strong
competitors in the
global economy.
China
 History of Chinese Culture
The history of Chinese Culture is divided into ages of history that are different
from those of the West. In Europe are the Ancient, Middle Ages, Modern and
Contemporary. But in China there are only three, Ancient, Imperial, and Modern.
 Origin and Prehistory of China
Many species of Homo began to populate the territory of
present-day China tens of thousands of years ago, including
the famous Homo Erectus Pekinensis. But we, the Homo
Sapiens, would have arrived only 40,000 years ago.
The appearance of the
first ceramics is very
important, 17,000 years
ago, even before
becoming sedentary or
learning to cultivate.
This is a milestone in
the history of humanity,
because no other
human civilization
managed to create
ceramics so quickly
10,000 years ago
they learned to
grow rice on the
banks of the
Yangtse River and
millet on the
Huang He River.
They also began to
domesticate the
first animals and
use jade.
 Ancient Age
In the history of China the Ancient Age is the basis
of its culture. At this time appeared the first
dynasties of China, the birth of great philosophers
such as Confucius, Mencius and Lao Tse, and the
entry of Buddhism in China.
First Dynasties: Xia and
Shang
China’s first dynasty, the Xia,
is considered “semi-
mitological”. This is because
there are some historians
who consider it real and
others who do not. Although
more and more
archaeological evidence is
appearing that it was real.
This first hard dynasty from
2,100 B.C. to 1,800 B.C. This
dynasty with capital in
Erlitou, a walled city with a
ruling class of religious court.
At this time appeared the
techniques of the use of
bronze and other new tools.
 Zhou Dynasty
It is believed that the Zhou were a
people west of the Yellow River who
defeated the Shang and created their
own dynasty. The Zhou Dynasty
(1050-256 B.C.) expanded rapidly,
and to control the new territories they
relied on the nobility or aristocracy. In
the long run it would end up being
their downfall, a typical problem that
the following dynasties would manage
to solve in the Imperial Age.

The Zhou created the principle of the

Mandate of Heaven, an unwritten rule
that regulated dynastic cycles until
the 20th century, giving legitimacy to
the new dynasties and discrediting the
old ones.
Combatant Kingdoms
After centuries of wars and
battles, in the 5th century BC
only 8 of the original 170 states
remained. These 8 disputed
control of all of China, and one of
them, the state of Qin,
succeeded.
Its leader also conquered the
capital of the Zhou and
founded his own dynasty, the
Qin. Qin Shi Huang Di was its
first ruler and first emperor in
the history of China.
 Qin Dynasty
The Qin dynasty was the last
dynasty of the Ancient Age, although
some historians put it as the first of
the Imperial Age. Be that as it may,
it is a transitional dynasty between
one era and another. It lasted very
little, only from 221 B.C. to 206 B.C.,
but its importance was enormous.
This dynasty saw China’s first
historical emperor, Qi Shi Huang Di,
who used legalism and state
centralization to control all of China.
The problem was that Huang Di was
very authoritarian. He commanded
the unification of the Great Wall of
China with forced labor, the burning
of ancient history books, the
persecution of Confucianism, and the
murder of any opponent.
Imperial Era
In the history of China, the
Imperial Age is a period apart.
China’s dynasties would no
longer be governed by nobility,
but by officials who gained
access to the administration
through imperial examinations.

Anyone could take these exams

(if they saved enough money to
pay for them), and if they
passed they were admitted to
the imperial administration. The
officials were in charge of all
government tasks; collecting
taxes for the central
government, recruiting levies,
filing information, creating
population censuses, governing
provinces
Han Dynasty and Three
Kingdoms Period
Liu Bang, a peasant, founded
the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220
A.D.) after the overthrow of the
Qin. Peace and prosperity were
enduring under the Confucian
court Han government.

At this time China opened the

Silk Road, made several
expeditions to the West, and
introduced Buddhism. There was
a peasant rebellion that
interrupted the Han government
for a few decades, called the
Wang Mang Rebellion.
Jin and Sui Dynasties
China was reunited under
the Jin dynasty (265 – 420),
but these would have to face
throughout their history the
warrior and nomadic peoples
of the North. So much so
that in 304 the country was
again divided into a period
known as the Sixteen
Kingdoms, which were all
non-Chinese.

This produced a great

Chinese emigration towards
the South. China would end
up being divided into only
two great kingdoms in the
Southern and Northern
Dynasties Period (420 – 589).
The north was ruled by the
Tuoba ethnicity, and the
south by the Chinese
 Tang Dynasty
> One of its most important dynasties
in the history of China was the Tang
dynasty (618 – 907). Many historians
have wanted to compare it with the
beginnings of the Han dynasty, due to
the great cultural flourishing that the
country suffered.

> There were also several military

expeditions to the West, but there the
Tang Empire was defeated by the
Arabs at the Battle of Talas (751). This
led to a decline in the Tang dynasty
from which they would not recover,
provoking a new era of independent
Chinese kingdoms in the Five
Dynasties Period (907 – 960).
Song Dynasty and Synized
Empires
The Song dynasty (960-1279)
managed to reunify China again
(again). With the capital in
Kaifeng, this dynasty greatly
boosted both land and sea trade,
founding large cities in the
South.

But soon the nomadic peoples of

the north would return to attack,
something constant in the
history of China. These managed
to found the khitan kingdoms
Liao and Xia. Later they would
be conquered by the Yurchen
people who would found the Jin
Empire. Although the Song
dynasty still existed in the
southern half of China, where
Neo-Confucianism appeared.
These northern kingdoms and empires
would be called the “synized empires“.
Although they were originally nomads,
when they conquered northern China,
they became sedentary and adapted their
customs to Chinese ones.
Mongol Empire and Yuan
Dynasty
Curiously, the next Chinese
reunification would come from
the hands of the Mongol Empire.
Genghis Khan already had an
Empire ranging from Mongolia to
the Middle East. His son Ogodei
conquered China’s Jin Empire,
and his grandson, Kublai Khan
founded the Yuan dynasty (1271
– 1368).

This dynasty controlled Mongolia

and northern and western China,
but the Song resisted in the
south. Kublai Khan managed to
conquer them and unify all of
China in the battle of Yamen
(1279).
The Mongols allowed imperial examinations, opened the
Silk Road (with the arrival of Marco Polo), and opened the
country to Christianity and Islam. But they classified the
population into various ethnic groups, with the Mongols
at the top and the Chinese at the bottom. This caused
great social instability, along with several famines and
pests of the time.
 Ming and Qing Dynasties
Two of the most important
dynasties in the history of China
are the Ming dynasty (1368 –
1644) and the Qing dynasty (1636
– 1912).

Zhu Yuan Zhang, a Chinese

peasant, managed to organize a
“red turban” rebellion against the
Mongols, defeat them, expel them
from China and found the Ming
dynasty. This dynasty would be the
organizer of one of the greatest
feats in China’s history, Zheng
The Ming would also
be the architects of
the construction of
the famous
Forbidden City, in
present-day Beijing.
An entire city for the
court of the Chinese
Empire.
.
Later, in the year 1639, the
Manchues, a town in the
northeast of China, managed to
invade and conquer China due
to the social instability that ran
through the country due to the
corruption and ineptitude of the
last Ming emperors.

They managed to conquer all of

China, found the Qing dynasty
(the last dynasty in China’s
history), and expand the
Chinese Empire as never
before. They conquered
Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang,
Taiwan, and Korea. They also
imposed the famous “Chinese
pigtail” on the population.
The Opium Wars and
China’s Decline
For most of China’s history, it
has always remained a world
power to be feared, both
culturally and militarily. But that
began to change in the mid-19th
century, especially with the
Taiping Rebellion and the Opium
Wars.

The Opium Wars (1839 – 1860)

were a military and economic
defeat against the British
Empire. But above all it was a
cultural defeat for China against
the Western World. From then
on, China did not become the
first world power until the
beginning of the 21st century.
 Modern Age

During the 19th and 20th centuries, China began to receive

Western influences. But due to the tremendous traditional
Chinese roots, it was not able to industrialize as quickly as
Japan did.
As a result, China suffered several anti-western revolts
during the Qing dynasty, such as the boxer rebellion. And it
was also defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1895,
losing control of Korea and Taiwan.
Republic of China
China’s history turned
around in 1911 with the
Wuxang Uprising, which
overthrew the Qing
dynasty and created the
Republic of China. Its
most famous leaders
were Sun Yat-Sen, Yuan
Shikai and Chiang Kai-
Shek.
China entered the 20th
century in a turbulent way, a
century that will be marked by
two world wars and the
Republic’s inability to maintain
full control of China. So it will
again break up into several
independent military states
(again).

China had to endure the

invasion of Japan during World
War II and a subsequent Civil
War between communists and
nationalists in 1947.
People’s Republic of China
China’s history turned again when the communists
won the war in 1949, proclaiming Mao Zedong the
People’s Republic of China from Beijing. During this
time ties with the USSR were strengthened, new
factories were built, the agricultural sector was
collectivized, and Tibet was occupied in 1950.

Also important was the intervention in the Korean

War (how many times in China’s entire history?
About 20?), the Indian border conflict, the Great
Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution
KOFUN (YAMATO) (300 - 645) Unified state begins with
emergence of powerful clan rulers; Japan establishes close
contacts with mainland Asia.Clan rulers are buried in kofun
(large tomb mounds), surrounded by haniwa (clay sculptures).
Yamato clan rulers, claiming descent from Amaterasu Omikami,
begin the imperial dynasty that continues to occupy the throne
today. Japan adopts Chinese written characters. Shotoku Taishi
(574-622) begins to shape Japanese society and government
more after the pattern of China. He seeks centralization of
government and a bureaucracy of merit. He also calls for
reverence for Buddhism and the Confucian virtues
Burial Mounds
The first era of recorded
history in Japan is the Kofun
Period (A.D. 300-538).
Enormous keyhole-shaped
burial mounds surrounded
by moats characterized the
Kofun Period. Of the known
71 in existence, the largest
is 1,500 feet long and 120
feet tall, or the length of 4
football fields and the
height of the Statue of
Liberty.
Shinto is the
worship of kami, or
gods, in Japan.
Although the
concept of
worshipping gods
originated before
the Kofun Period,
Shinto as a
widespread religion
with set rituals and
practices didn’t
establish itself until
then.
These rituals are the focus of Shinto,
which guides a practicing believer on
how to live a proper lifestyle that
ensures connection to the gods. These
gods came in many forms. They were
typically connected to natural elements,
although some represented people or
objects.

Initially, believers worshipped in the

open or at sacred locations like forests.
Soon, however, worshippers began to
build shrines and temples that
contained art and statues dedicated to
and representing their gods.

It was believed that the gods would visit

these locations and inhabit the
representations of themselves
temporarily, rather than actually
The Yamato, and the Eastern Orient
Nations
The politics that emerged in the Yayoi
Period would solidify in various ways
throughout the 5th century CE. A clan
called the Yamato emerged as the most
dominant on the island due to their
ability to form alliances, use iron widley,
and organize their people.

The clans that the Yamato allied with,

which included the Nakatomi, Kasuga,
Mononobe, Soga, Otomo, Ki, and Haji,
formed what would become the
aristocracy of the Japanese political
structure. This social group was called
the uji, and each person had a rank or
title depending on their position in the
clans.
Asuka Period: 538-710 CE
The Soga Clan,
Buddhism, and the
Seventeen Article
Constitution
Where the Kofun Period
was marked
establishment of social
order, the Asuka Period
was distinctive for its
rapid escalation in
political maneuvering
ASUKA (645 -710) A great wave of reforms called the Taika no Kaishin
(Taika Reforms) aims to strengthen the emperor's power.
New aristocratic families are created. Especially powerful is that of
Fujiwara no Kamatari, who helped push the reforms.
Of the previously mentioned clans that rose to
power, the Soga were the ones who eventually
won out. After a victory in a succession dispute,
the Soga asserted their dominance by
establishing Emperor Kimmei as the first
historical Japanese emperor or Mikado (as
opposed to legendary or mythical ones).

One of the most important leaders of the era

after Kimmei was regent Prince Shotoku. Shotoku
was heavily influenced by Chinese ideologies like
Buddhism, Confucianism, and a highly
centralised and powerful government.

These ideologies valued unity, harmony, and

diligence, and while some of the more
conservative clans pushed back against
Shotoku’s embrace of Buddhism, these values
would become the basis for Shotoku’s Seventeen
Article Constitution, which guided the Japanese
people into a new era of organized government
The Fujiwara Clan and
the Taika Era Reforms
The Soga ruled
comfortably until a
coup by the Fujiwara
clan in 645 CE. The
Fujiwara instituted
Emperor Kotoku,
although the mind
behind the reforms
that would define his
reign was his nephew,
Nakano Oe.
NARA (710 - 794) Imperial
court builds new capital,
modeled upon Chang-an in
China, at Nara. Though
emperors are Shinto chiefs,
they patronize Buddhism in
the belief that its teachings
will bring about a peaceful
society and protect the
state.
Legends surrounding the
founding of Japan are
compiled as history in the
Kojiki (Record of Ancient
Matters) and the Nihon
shoki (Chronicle of Japan).
With the adoption of
Buddhism as the state
religion, its monasteries
gain political power.
The Nara Period is named
after the capital city of
Japan during the period,
called Nara today and
Heijokyo at the time. The
city was modeled on the
Chinese city of Chang-an, so
it had a grid layout, Chinese
architecture, a Confucian
university, a huge royal
palace, and a state
bureaucracy that employed
over 7,000 civil servants.

The city itself may have had

a population of as many as
200,000 people, and was
connected by a network of
roads to faraway provinces.
Although the government was exponentially more powerful than it had
been in previous eras, there was still a major rebellion in 740 CE by a
Fujiwara exile. The emperor at the time, Shomu, crushed the rebellion with
an army of 17,000.
Literature and Temples
With the prosperity of the empire
came a boom in art and literature.
In 712 CE, the Kojiki became the
first book in Japan to record the
many and often confusing myths
from earlier Japanese culture.
Later, Emperor Temmu
commissioned the Nihon Shoki in
720 CE, a book that was a
combination of mythology and
history. Both were meant to
chronicle the genealogy of the
gods and link it to the genealogy
of the imperial line, linking the
Mikado directly to the divine
authority of the gods.
Heian Period: 794-1185 CE
Government and Power Struggles
Although the formal name of the capital was Heian, it came to
be known by its nickname: Kyoto, meaning simply “capital
city”. Kyoto was home to the core of the government, which
consisted of the Mikado, his high ministers, a council of state,
and eight ministries. They ruled over 7 million provinces
divided into 68 provinces.

The people clustered in the capital were mostly aristocracy,

artists, and monks, meaning the majority of the population
farmed the land for themselves or for a landed noble, and they
bore the brunt of the difficulties faced by the average Japanese
person. Anger at excessive taxation and banditry bubbled over
into rebellions more than once.
Imperial court moves to Heiankyo
(now Kyoto) to escape domination of
Nara's Buddhist establishment.
Official contacts with China stop in
838.
Buddhism, in combination with
native Shinto beliefs, continues to
flourish. Flowering of classical
Japanese culture aided by invention
of kana (syllabary for writing
Japanese language). Court women
produce the best of era's literature.
Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji (ca.
1002) is the world's first novel. Court
undergoes decline of power with rise
of provincial bushi (warrior class).
Japanese Art, Literature, and
Culture
The Heian Period saw a move away
from the heavy influence of
Chinese culture and a refinement of
what Japanese culture would come
to be. A written language was
developed for the first time in
Japan, which allowed for the world’s
first novel to be written.

It was called the Tale of Genji by

Murasaki Shikibu, who was a lady
of the court. Other significant
written works were also written by
women, some in the form of
Kamakura Period:
1185-1333 CE
The Kamakura
Shogunate
As shogun, Minamoto
no Yoritomo situated
himself comfortably in
a position of power as
shogunate.
Technically, the
Mikado still ranked
above the shogunate,
but in reality, power
over the country stood
with whoever
controlled the army. In
exchange, the
shogunate offered
military protection for
the emperor.
KAMAKURA (185-
1333) Military
government
established in
Kamakura by
Minamoto no
Yoritomo. Emperor,
as figurehead,
remains in Kyoto
with the court
aristocracy.
1192: Imperial court confers on Yoritomo the
title of seii taishogun ("barbarian-subduing
generalissimo"). Bushi become new ruling class
1274, 1281: Kublai
Khan's Mongol
invasions are
repelled with help of
kamikaze ("divine
winds," or storms).
Defense against
these invasions
weakens structure
of the military
government at
Kamakura.
MUROMACHI (1333 -
1568) Muromachi district
of Kyoto becomes base
for Shogun Ashikaga
Takauji's new military
government.
Takauji and his
successors become
patrons of Zen and
spontaneity in ink
painting, garden design,
and the chanoyu (tea
ceremony).
1467-1568: The 10 year-long Onin no Ran
(Onin War) brings disintegration of central
government, followed by the Sengoku
Jidai (Era of the Country at War). Firearms
introduced by shipwrecked Portuguese
soldiers (1543),Christianity by Francis
Xavier (1549).
Ashikaga (Muromachi) Period: 1336-1573 CE
The Warring States Period
The Ashikaga Shogunate situated its power in the city of
Muromachi, hence the two names for the period. The period
was characterized by a century of violence called the Warring
States period.

The Onin War of 1467-1477 CE is what catalyzed the Warring

States period, but the period itself – the fallout of the civil war
– lasted from 1467 until 1568, a full century after the initiation
of the war. Japanese warlords feuded viciously, fracturing the
previously centralized regime and destroying the city of
Heiankyo
AZUCHIMOMOYA MA (1568 -
1600) Oda Nobunaga starts
process of reunifying Japan
after a century of civil war; he
is followed by Toyotomi
Hideyoshi (1536-1598).
Foundation of modern Japan is
laid.
Hideyoshi's ambition to
conquer Korea and China is
thwarted by local resistance.
Arts such as painting,
monumental decorative
designs, and the tea
ceremony continue to flourish.
New sects of Buddhism cropped up, focusing on principles of
Zen, which were very popular among samurai for their
attention to beauty, simplicity, and withdrawal from the
bustle of life.

This new form of Buddhism also had an influence on the art

and writing of the time, and the era produced several new
and notable Buddhist temples. Shinto was still practiced
broadly as well, sometimes by the same people who
practiced Buddhism.
.
Local warlords, daimyos, ruled the outer provinces and had no fear
of the government, meaning the people of those provinces didn’t
pay as much in taxes as they had under the emperor and shogun.

Agriculture thrived with the invention of the double-cropping

technique and the use of fertilizers. Villages were able to grow in size
and start to govern themselves as they saw that communal work
could improve all of their lives.

They formed so and ikki, small councils and leagues designed to

address the physical and social needs of their people. The average
farmer was actually much better off during the violent Ashikaga than
he was in previous, more peaceful times.
Unification (Azuchi-Momoyama Period): 1568-1600 CE
Oda Nobunaga
The Warring States period finally ended when one warlord was able
to best the rest: Oda Nobunaga. In 1568 he captured Heiankyo, the
seat of imperial power, and in 1573 he exiled the last Ashikaga
shogunate. By 1579, Nobunaga controlled all of central Japan.
EDO (TOKUGAWA) (1600 -1868) Japan enters an age of peace
and national isolation.
Tokugawa leyasu founds new shogunate at Edo (now Tokyo). In
1635 national isolation policy limits Chinese and Dutch traders
to Nagasaki. Christianity is suppressed. Establishment of rigid
social hierarchy ensures peace and stability throughout Japan.
(Samurai are ranked highest, followed by farmers, artisans,
and merchants.) By the early 1700s, cities and commerce
flourish. A growing merchant class enjoys Kabuki and Bunraku
theater. Printing and publication of books increase; education
becomes available to the urban population. Commodore
Matthew C. Perry and his steam frigates arrive in Japan (1853);
the United States wants to use Japanese ports as supply bases
for its commercial fleet. Japan accepts the U.S. demands and
opens its door for the first time in two centuries.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi set
himself up in a castle at the
base of Momoyama (‘Peach
Mountain’), adding to a
growing number of castles in
Japan. Most were never
attacked and were mostly for
show, and so towns sprung
up around them that would
become major cities, like
Osaka or Edo (Tokyo), in
modern day Japan.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was
among the ministers
Hideyoshi had tasked
with helping his son rule
after his death.
However, naturally,
Ieyasu and the other
ministers simply warred
amongst themselves
until Ieyasu emerged
victor in 1600, taking
the seat intended for
Hideyoshi’s son.
During the Tokugawa Period, Japan’s economy developed a more solid
foundation made possible by the centuries of peace. Hideyoshi’s shi-no-
ko-sho system was still in place, but not always enforced. Samurai, left
without work during periods of peace, took up a trade or became
bureaucrats.

However, they were also still expected to maintain the samurai code of
honor and behave accordingly, which caused some frustrations. Peasants
were tied to their land (the land of the aristocrats that the farmers worked
on) and were forbidden from doing anything unrelated to agriculture, in
order to ensure consistent income for the aristocrats they worked for.
The Act of Seclusion
In 1636, the Tokugawa Shogunate put forth the Act of Seclusion, which
cut Japan off from all Western nations (except for a small Dutch outpost
in Nagasaki).

This came after many years of suspicion towards the West. Christianity
has been gaining a foothold in Japan for a few centuries, and near the
beginning of the Tokugawa Period, there were 300,000 Christians in
Japan. It was brutally suppressed and forced underground after a
rebellion in 1637. The Tokugawa regime wanted to rid Japan of foreign
influence and colonial sentiments
MEIJI (1868 -1912) The emperor is
restored; Japan makes transition to
nation-state.
Dispossessed bushi become
soldiers, policemen, and teachers
with fall of feudal system and
political reform. New national policy
is to make Japan a rich and powerful
country, to prevent invasion by
Western powers. Emphasis is on
building a strong military and
strengthening industries. Japan
becomes world power through
victories in Sino-Japanese (1895)
and Russo-Japanese (1904-05) wars.
Korea annexed (1910-45).
Rebellion and Reform
The Meiji Period is considered among the most important in the history of
Japan as it’s during this time that Japan began to open up to the world. The
Meiji Restoration began with a coup d’etat in Kyoto on January 3, 1868
carried out mostly by the young samurai of two clans, the Choshu and the
Satsuma.
They installed the young emperor
Meiji to rule Japan. Their motivations
stemmed from a few points. The word
“Meiji” means “enlightened rule” and
the goal was to combine “modern
advances” with traditional “eastern”
values.

Samurai had been suffering under the

Tokugawa Shogunate, where they
were useless as warriors during the
peaceful period, but held to the same
standards of behavior. They were also
concerned about America and
European powers’ insistence on
opening Japan and the potential
influence that the West would have on
TAISHO [1912-1926]
Japan expands
economic base
within Asia and the
Pacific.
Prospering
businessmen
support Liberal party
government,
broadening political
participation.
Universal manhood
suffrage begun in
1925.
Japan’s Roaring 20s and Social
Unrest
Emperor Taisho, Meiji’s son
and successor, contracted
cerebral meningitis at an early
age, the effects of which would
gradually deteriorate his
authority and his ability to
rule. Power shifted to the
members of the Diet, and by
1921, Taisho’s son Hirohito
was named prince regent and
the emperor himself no longer
appeared in public.
Disaster Strikes and the Emperor Returns
On September 1st, 1923, a powerful earthquake measuring
7.8 on the Richter scale rocked Japan, halting almost all
political uprising. The quake and subsequent fires killed more
than 150,000 people, left 600,000 homeless, and devastated
Tokyo, which was, for that period, the third largest city in the
world. Martial law was put into place immediately, but it was
not enough to stop the opportunistic killings of both ethnic
minorities and political opponents.
SHOWA [1926 -1989] Japan
experiences World War II and
its aftermath, as well as
economic recovery.
Japan's liberal rulers replaced;
military-run cabinets make
imperialistic inroads in China.
Manchuria taken over in 1931.
Ultra-Nationalism and World War II
The early Showa Era was characterized by an ultra-
nationalist sentiment among the Japanese people and the
military, to the point where the animosity was aimed at the
government for perceived weakness in negotiation with
Western powers.

Assassins stabbed or shot several Japanese top government

officials, including three prime ministers. The Imperial Army
invaded Manchuria of their own accord, defying the
emperor, and in response, the imperial government
responded with even more authoritarian rule.
1937-1945: World War II; war in China followed
by invasion of Southeast Asia.
1940: Japan joins the Axis powers.
1941: Pearl Harbor brings United States into war
in the Pacific.
August 1945: first atom bomb is dropped on
Hiroshima, the second on Nagasaki. The
emperor airs by radio a statement of
unconditional surrender.
1945-1952: Allied occupation of Japan;
democratic party government restored;
women gain legal equality and right to
vote. Enactment of the new
(democratic) constitution transforms
Japan's political life, making it a truly
parliamentary state. With a peace
treaty signed in 1951, Japan regains its
independence.

The late 1950s to the early 1970s is

called the "High Growth Age" in Japan
because of the booming economy.
Highlights of the era are the Tokyo
Olympic Games in 1964 and Expo '70
in Osaka. In 1972 relations with China
are normalized.
Atrocities and Post-War Japan
Japan was party to, as well as
victim of, a series of violent
acts throughout this period. At
the end of 1937 during its war
with China, the Japanese
Imperial Army committed the
Rape of Nanking, a massacre of
around 200,000 people in the
city of Nanking, both civilians
and soliders, along with the
rapes of tens of thousands of
women.
HEISEI (1989- ) Global issues foster
debate.
In 1989 Prince Akihito succeeds to the
throne. In1991 the Gulf War ignites
controversy over Japan's role in the
international community. Should Japan
strictly protect the "peace" constitution
of 1947, a major cause of its
prosperity? Or should it contribute
troops as well as financial support to
United Nations operations? In 1993,
after Japanese troops are pulled out of
a United Nations operation in
Cambodia, the arguments go on:
Should Japan become more
internationally minded? Or should
domestic peace and prosperity be the
After Emperor Showa died, his
son Akihito ascended the
throne to lead Japan during
more sober times after their
disastrous defeat at the end of
WWII. Throughout this period,
Japan suffered under a series of
natural and political disasters.
In 1991, Mount Unzen’s Fugen
Peak erupted after being
dormant for almost 200 years.

12,000 people were evacuated

from a nearby town and 43
people were killed by
pyroclastic flows. In 1995, a 6.8
earthquake struck the city of
Kobe and in the same year the
doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo
carried out a sarin gas terrorist
attack in the Tokyo Metro.
Reiwa Era: 2019-Present
The Heisei Era ended after the
emperor willingly abdicated,
indicating a break in tradition
that paralleled the naming of the
era, which was typically done by
taking names from classical
Chinese literature. This time, the
name “Reiwa“, meaning
“beautiful harmony”, was taken
from the Man’yo-shu, a revered
anthology of Japanese poetry.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo took
over from the emperor and leads
Japan today. Prime Minister
Shinzo has said that the name
was chosen to represent the
potential for Japan to bloom like
a flower after a long winter.