The Early Settlement History of Japan on Dipity.
Overview of the History of Japan
Japan is one of the leading countries in the world right now; it is a technological powerhouse and major tourist attraction. However it has not always been that way, Japan has a long, unique history with the first humans arriving around 35,000 B.C. (Facts About Japan, 2013). The first historical documents mentioning Japan date to around the 5th century. There are Japanese myths that state that Emperor Jimmu was the first emperor of an imperial line that is still in place today. Nara was the first centralized capital of the nation, which was established in the late 8th century. The Nara period was actually the last time that political power was held by the emperor.
In 1867 the Tokugawa Shogunate collapsed, which was the ruling feudalist system that was established (Facts About Japan, 2013). This gave way to the Meiji restoration, when the imperial capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, renamed from Edo to Tokyo. During this time Japan directed their efforts toward industrialization and modernization. Then came World War I, Japan fought on the same side as the United States even though their relations were not favorable. They had policy disagreements over China and competition for power in the Pacific (Facts About Japan, 2013). After World War I Japans economy was on the decline and hit a low point during the Showa recession in 1926 (Facts About Japan, 2013). The recession followed with major political turmoil, which ultimately increased militarism in Japan in the late 1920’s and 1930’s. Despite the recession extreme nationalism began to take hold of Japan. There was a major emphasis on the preservation of traditional Japanese values, and a major rejection of “Western” influence (BBC, 2013).
In 1937 Japan went to war with China and by the end of the year Japan had captured Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing. With the capture of China the Japanese committed major atrocities, which included the “Rape of Nanjing”. This name was created because it was estimated that up to 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed (BBC, 2013). The Western powers were reluctant to provide support to the Chinese who they thought would lose the war. However the US eventually entered the war in 1942 after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces (Facts About Japan, 2013). 1945 is an unforgettable year because that is when US planes dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th. This was devastating for the Japanese and eventually it eventually ended with Japan’s surrender. Japan was placed under US military government while all Japanese military and naval forces were disbanded.
The US occupation of Japan ended in 1951, Japan’s government shifted from imperial and military rule to a parliamentary democracy (Facts About Japan, 2013). Despite the hardships Japan has suffered with its losses in World War II and possessing very little natural resources, Japan has become an economic and technological superpower.
Sources
BBC. (2013). Japan profile. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15219730
Facts About Japan. (2013). Brief history of japan. Retrieved from http://www.facts-about-japan.com/brief-history.html
In 1867 the Tokugawa Shogunate collapsed, which was the ruling feudalist system that was established (Facts About Japan, 2013). This gave way to the Meiji restoration, when the imperial capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, renamed from Edo to Tokyo. During this time Japan directed their efforts toward industrialization and modernization. Then came World War I, Japan fought on the same side as the United States even though their relations were not favorable. They had policy disagreements over China and competition for power in the Pacific (Facts About Japan, 2013). After World War I Japans economy was on the decline and hit a low point during the Showa recession in 1926 (Facts About Japan, 2013). The recession followed with major political turmoil, which ultimately increased militarism in Japan in the late 1920’s and 1930’s. Despite the recession extreme nationalism began to take hold of Japan. There was a major emphasis on the preservation of traditional Japanese values, and a major rejection of “Western” influence (BBC, 2013).
In 1937 Japan went to war with China and by the end of the year Japan had captured Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing. With the capture of China the Japanese committed major atrocities, which included the “Rape of Nanjing”. This name was created because it was estimated that up to 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed (BBC, 2013). The Western powers were reluctant to provide support to the Chinese who they thought would lose the war. However the US eventually entered the war in 1942 after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces (Facts About Japan, 2013). 1945 is an unforgettable year because that is when US planes dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6th and Nagasaki on August 9th. This was devastating for the Japanese and eventually it eventually ended with Japan’s surrender. Japan was placed under US military government while all Japanese military and naval forces were disbanded.
The US occupation of Japan ended in 1951, Japan’s government shifted from imperial and military rule to a parliamentary democracy (Facts About Japan, 2013). Despite the hardships Japan has suffered with its losses in World War II and possessing very little natural resources, Japan has become an economic and technological superpower.
Sources
BBC. (2013). Japan profile. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15219730
Facts About Japan. (2013). Brief history of japan. Retrieved from http://www.facts-about-japan.com/brief-history.html