Japan Modernizes

1. Japan Modernizes

2. Terms • Treaty of Kanagawa- an 1854 agreement between the United States and Japan, which opened two Japanese ports to US ships and allowed the United States to set up an embassy in Japan • Meiji Era- the period of Japanese history from 1867 to 1912, during which the country was ruled by the Emperor Mutsuhito • Russo- Japanese War-a 1904-1905 conflict between Russia and Japan, sparked by the two countries’ efforts to dominate Manchuria and Korea • Annexation- the adding of a region to the territory of an existing political unit

3. Historical Background • In Japan, the emperor was a social symbol, not a political ruler • Government was ruled by the shogun, but regional lords, known as daimyo, experienced very little interference from the shogun • In the early 1600s, shoguns prohibited foreigners from entering Japan and Japanese from leaving the country

4. Western Influence in Japan • Unlike other countries at this time, the Japanese embraced Western culture in order to protect themselves from foreign domination • In 1792, British and Russian ships were spotted off the coast, making lords realize that Japan was too weak to resist a foreign invasion • In 1853, American Commodore Mathew C. Perry arrived off the coast of Japan, leading to the treaty of Kanagawa, in which opened some Japanese ports to American trade, and allowed American ships to stop and refuel in Japan on their way from California to China • The Japanese copied the government structure of imperial Germany, they modeled their navy on the British, and they modeled their army after the Prussian • They sent many students to Britain, Germany, and the United States • They hired European teachers for their schools, such as the Englishman, William Ayrton, who was the first professor of electrical engineering at the Imperial college of Engineering in Japan

5. Pros of Imperialism • The threat of imperialism in Japan led to the Meiji Restoration • Japan gained a stronger, more centralized government • Western style postal and telegraph services, harbors, railroads, banking, clocks, and calendars • Government opened vocational, technical, and agricultural schools • Government founded four Imperial universities with foreign experts to advise in medicine, science, and engineering • Industrialization was encouraged by the government

6. Cons of Imperialism • New Japanese industries exploited workers ruthlessly • Peasant families were hurt by rising taxes and rents • Children were forced to work in the factories • Because these children were forced to work in factories, their opportunities for education decreased

7. Effects of Imperialism • Japan emerged as one of the Great Powers in the world • Because of the selling of government enterprises to private groups of investors, individual innovation was encouraged, leading to the founding of successful businesses such as the Toyota Motor Company, which was began by Toyoda Sakichi as the Toyada Look Works. This company patented the world’s most advanced automatic look in 1916 • Japan itself became imperialistic, annexing Korea in 1910, and gaining control of southern Manchuria

8. Later History • After joining the victorious Allies in WWI, Japan increased its influence and territory by occupying Manchuria • Because of condemnation from other countries because of this occupation, the Japanese withdrew from the League of Nations • The Japanese joined the Axis powers in 1941 • After the Japanese invaded China in 1937, the United States enacted an oil embargo against them • Japan brought the United States into WWII by attacking Pearl Harbor • The United States ended the war with Japan by dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki • Japan eventually became the second largest economy in the world

9. This map shows the different types of industries in the cities of Japan. It also shows the location and type of different power plants, and where the major industrial sites can be found

10. This map shows the paths of different bullet trains in Japan. Even though these trains are not a direct result of interaction during the age of imperialism, the original technology was spread to Japan during this time period