Fukoku Kyohei Imperialism

Before an American naval commander “opened” Japan, the country was extremely isolated. Interaction with other nations was limited. Trade was discouraged in society due to Neo-Confucian

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.

On August 1, 1894 Emperor Meiji of Japan issued an Imperial Rescript declaring war on China which marked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. The idea of a low-ranked nation like Japan, challenging the much more respected power China, seemed unimaginable, much less for them to win the war. Shockingly, Japan was victorious from this war and proved to be a world power that should be feared through their tactics of imperialism and modern intelligence. Their overload of numbers and strategies overwhelmed Chinese officials to the point where they could not compete. The defeat of Qing China at the hands of Japan highlighted the weakness of the Chinese military and government while also accelerating the decline of the Qing dynasty.

Showa: The Japan of Hirohito, edited by Carol Gluck and Stephen R. Graubard, seeks to find the answers to many questions that are commonly asked about Japan and its history. As stated in the title, this book focuses on the Hirohito era in Japanese history from 1926 to 1989. In the Introduction, Gluck states that there were two main issues for Japan in the twentieth century, “how Japan came to aggressive war and then to macroeconomic might” (xi). The unstable relationship between Japan and the United States is also an underlying theme of the book. The three chapters to be examined in this paper are, “The Useful War,” “The People Who Invented the Mechanical Nightingale,” and “Japan Meets the United States for the Second Time.”

During this time period, both India and Japan faced a new situation: the new imperialism of Europe. India was unable to defend themselves, thus leading to them becoming a colony of Britain. Japan however, selectively borrowed from the Europeans after proving themselves to be equals of the once superior Europeans. Despite having such contrasting fates, both India and Japan had similarities in the miserable work conditions for peasants. But because India was a colony while Japan was a country, India data was recorded by British officials and Japanese data was record by Japanese officials. Another difference was the source of labor for textile production. India had mostly men workers whereas Japan

Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way the

. . . The deeply indented coastline of Japan provides a number of excellent harbors on the Pacific coast, and its shores abound in fish of all kinds, the rich supplies of which have for centuries constituted one of the chief articles of food of the people. The fishing industries have helped to provide Japan with a recruiting ground for one of the strongest and most formidable navies of modern times” (Doc. 6). The geography and location of Japan has helped itself in many ways, such as it has good harbors with abounding amounts of fish. 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. . . . [W]e must reach as far as possible within the limits of our resources to achieve control of that position. As a result, it is essential that we begin to make significantly larger appropriations for our navy and our armed forces” (Doc. 7). The prime minister wanted large appropriations to the military because so they would have defense against threats, protection of

One of Japan’s major goals was total imperialism. The Japanese felt they were being treated as inferior in comparison to the United States and Europe and sought out to change just that. In a recount of comments made by Prime Minister and War Minister of Japan, Hideki Tojo, during a closed meeting of Japan’s top government and military leaders; he states “I fear that we would become a third-class nation after two or three years if we just sat tight.” They knew that

Ultranationalism in Japan began once the global markets collapsed in 1930. Difficult times and a growing need for national glory led to increased militarism. In 1937, Japan invaded China and expanded its empire from the Korean peninsula to Indonesia. However, Japan’s

Kon'nichiwa! I’m Japan! You probably know me for my aesthetic cherry blossoms and splendid anime, but let me tell you, things weren’t always as kawaii as they seemed. For a loooong time, I was isolated from other countries by my own shoguns and daimyos, my militaristic dictators and their warrior landlords respectively. We got along fine at first, but my common people were becoming increasingly unhappy with their little political power and heavy taxes. Then, on a fateful day in July of 1853, I met… the West.

“Japan went to war with the United States in 1941 because of incompetent leadership and misguided diplomacy, not because of a political culture of ultranationalism, militarism, and imperialism. There was therefore nothing inevitable about how the Pacific War began, although Japan’s defeat was inevitable once it did begin.” The Pacific War was between the Japanese and Allies that lasted for three years resulting in the surrender of Japan. On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States.

control of pieces of land from Soviet Union and China. This ownership brought Japan a great advantage and main recourse centers, a human source.

Japan is a small island nation off the coast of Eastern Asia. Despite its size, Japan has proved to be formidable both economically and militarily. Since the expedition of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853 opened up the past feudalistic and reclusive Japan, this nation has expanded and adopted many imperialistic policies as well as taken a more aggressive military stance. Japan has changed in many ways, but has also continued upholding traditional practices throughout 1853 and 1941.

The narrator of An Artist of the Floating World is none other than Masuji Ono. A once renowned Japanese artist with somewhat high prestige, he retires into a small town in Japan after the Second World War (the novel is during 1948-1949), where he lives in the previous home of a wealthy noble that he attained through an “eccentric procedure”. While preparing for his youngest daughter’s marriage arrangements (her second time for the first one fell through), he begins to acknowledge that some of his actions of his past may have affected his reputation rather negatively. He starts to reflect on his younger years in order to come to a better understanding on his past and the changes around him that concern him and the contemporary ways that differ

British imperialism was additionally successful in its mission to cause political, psychological and moral damages to those around them. The behaviors practiced by that of the English colonizers whether it was brutality, oppression and discrimination was in many ways picked up by the locals. U Po Kyin, a native Burmese magistrate uses British social attitudes to discredit Dr. Veraswami, in hopes of gaining access to the European Club. He emulates colonial ideologies in order to gain positions of power and to elevate his influence and status in society.