Analyzing Friedman's Flat

Although Japan changed in many ways from 1853 to 1941, there were also many factors that remained the same throughout the history of Japan. One such continuity was the maintained existence of a figurehead ruler controlled by other political authorities. The feudalistic emperor of Japan was the supposed “highest, most powerful authority” in the land, but was actually controlled by the military leaders- the shogun. Similarly, the militaristic emperor of Japan decades later continued to remain a figurehead ruler controlled by military and government officials. In addition, Japan continued to remain reliant on exports in order to maintain its economy. As a result of Japan’s small geographical size, the island nation had few natural resources and was forced to rely on exports to survive economically. The nation also grew increasingly reliant on other nations to provide materials and supplies that it could not provide for itself. This complete reliance on other nations was seen illustrated when the Japanese military was provoked to attacking another superpower- the United States, in response to the 1940 United States embargo

(Doc. 8) In the 19th century, Japan began to see that the world was moving forward without them in technology and manufacturing. In addition, they also saw that their military was inferior to those of their peers. On the matter, Prime Minister Yamagata Aritomo said, "The protection of the nation’s line of sovereignty and the defense of our line of advantage are essential if we wish to maintain our independence and security... it is essential that we begin to make significantly larger appropriations for our navy and our armed forces." To reconcile this, the nation immediately made every effort to pull themselves out of the past and into the present by strengthening their army and diving headfirst into industrialism. (Doc. 8) Much the same as the British, Japan's rapid industrial growth led to expansion and colonization. By the late 1930s, Japan had taken control of both Korea and Manchuria, giving them more power and position than they had ever before come to know. (Doc.

In the present, Japan is a military and economic superpower with strong influence. However, it was not always like this. In the early 1700s, Japan isolated itself from the world and greeted foreigners unfortunate enough to shipwreck in Japan with hostility. In the 1850s, the United States attempted to make contact with Japan to establish a treaty. The U.S. knew even though Japan was hostile, it was weak compared to a western power. Although the U.S. was stronger than Japan, it was nowhere close to being as strong as other western powers such as Brittan or France and was struggling to keep up. Japanese hostility, U.S. power struggles, and Japan’s isolation all led to the inevitable Japanese and U.S. conflict.

In Peter Duus’ Japanese Discovery of America, the author shows the learning experience that Japan went through in order to become one of the strongest countries in the early 20th century. From 1797 when the first American ship arrived in Japan, to 1879 when President Grant visited the Meiji emperor, Japan, not one of the strongest countries economically and militarily at the time, had interactions with multiple countries that included Russia, England and Portugal. However, Japan’s Confucianism belief and the development of the Tokaido Road served as roots for their quick rise to modernization. Even though multiple countries were cooperating with Japan, the relations with the United States proved to be the most

Japan, as known today, is a world powerhouse in technology and innovation. It currently ranks third in GDP, bringing in over $4.9 trillion dollars per year. However, this has not always been the case. Japan is well known for its period of “Sakoku,” a Japanese word literally meaning “closed country.” From 1600-1850s, that is indeed what Japan was; Japanese citizens were not allowed to leave the country and no foreigners were allowed to enter. The country was completely isolated from the rest of the world, even in regards to trade. This was changed in 1854 by Commander Matthew Perry and his Navy squadron. With the Kanagawa Treaty, Perry ended Japan’s period of isolationism and pushed them into their future as a world power.

In 1868, provincial rebels overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan and the new leaders called the regime the “Meiji Restoration.” This was just the beginning for soon-to-be modernized Japan. A stronger military, new ideas, technology, and laws would be all used to transform Japan into a modern industrial nation. Because of these, modernization had a great effects on Japan’s society and the nation as a whole from 1850 to 1950. One effect modernization had was strengthening international presence and relations for Japan as a whole. This helped to keep them active on global terms and impacted them in a positive manner. Another effect modernization resulted in was the transformation of the internal society of Japan. The changes in the society all provided great benefits for Japan.

second dementioni of national power by military, political, and economic power of the US in the early 1990 by the economic and technological power of japan in the year of 1970 and 1980.

Q6. Japan was a country that had kept to themselves, they were closed off from most of the outside world. Due to their isolation, they were unable to keep up with the times. This meant that they would be behind in almost everything, especially industrialization. The Industrial Revolution had been a major success and played a key role in the wealth and height of power in many of the European nations. Once the Japanese had opened their eyes to all of the possibilities, they were in awe. Many of there influences came from the European nations and the United States. All f these countries had modernized and Japan was left standing alone. Japan had felt left out after seeing the modernization and the positive effects it had on the other nations. They to wanted to become strong and powerful. In my opinion the United States and other European nations played monumental roles in the motivation of Japan when it came to building their empire.

This chapter is essentially the start of course and meaning of global and global studies. It defines globalization “is the historical process through which the world is being made into one place with systematic properties." Moreover, the overall effect that it had. In addition, it mentions the first time that globalization has been used in the social sciences in the 1990s. Axford assumes that world is becoming one global world. That means peoples cultures and beliefs are being replaced by the new cultures and they are so call becoming one. It goes through the myth of globalization. The backlash of the globalization is capitalism and how it affects the world but on the other hand, the globalization is not just about the economy. Overall, this chapter wants to introduce the course to us and express the meaning and misunderstands about the world Globalization. In my idea, this is the best way to start the course because it gives me a grasp of over global studies.

In Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat he presents his idea of the globalization of the world in all areas; from economic to communication with other countries. Friedman is a journalist from the New York Times and most of his work focuses on economic and technological innovations and advancements, and furthermore how they are associated to history. The ideas he presents in this book are both plausible and convincing. The main focus is whether the world is “flat“. The answer to this question depends on the readers’ political, economical, and technological opinions. Friedman does however present evidence in many situations where the globalization of the world is clearly evident. This essay will explore these different

Despite its action of the past and it apparition on the World War II, Japan nowadays represents one of the most powerful countries in the world, and it is a clear representation of redeemed and proof that the choice of accurate decision could empower a State. Even though it is a small country, Japan is comprehensibly a demonstration that a big territory is not a meaning of power, and that in fact, it has more influence in the world than most of the bigger countries. Why is it a powerful country? From the very rudimentary definition of power, it means the ability or authority to do something, the political control and the views of the country in terms of international influence (Oxford Canadian Dictionary). Throughout the whole history, power is closely related with military forces and hard power; however, power is also represented by the consequences of proper manage of domestic policies not only economically but also socially, which can influence in both regional and international level, making the country a power influence. Michael Foucault established that the idea of power is based on actors and the ability to make decisions and put them into practice to be in control, in this order of ideas, it enables to make politics and institutions work. As well, he stated that power is everywhere and it is not necessarily repressive, prohibitive, negative or exclusionary; it is closely related with the idea that power is also positive. The essence of soft power relies on the use

     Over the past fifty years Japan has seen significant changes in all aspects of its society and the way it interacts with the outside world. For example, despite suffering a defeat in World War II, Japan soon became one of Asia’s greatest economic powers. In Japan in Transformation, 1952 - 2000, Jeffrey Kingston focuses on various aspects of change in Japanese society and politics in the period after World War II. These include the effect of the US occupation, analysis of postwar politics, the economic boom, changes in demographics, the treatment of women, and foreign policy and security issues.

Chapter 8: International Strategy ---- P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project (written by Christopher A. Bartlett)

About this, the Japanese diplomacy has evolved across several stages, creating its own Soft Power based, basically in export the culture around the world. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the goal of

It is known that the economy is definitely effected by globalization, but not always in a negative way. In a sense, the world revolves around some situations dealing