Japanese Imperialism

1. Japanese Imperialism How does an ancient nation become an imperial power?

2. Traditional Japanese Society • Sent expeditions to China to “borrow” Ideas • Cultural and commercial relations dating back to 200 C.E. ideas culture

3. Traditional Japanese Society • Chinese influence • Gov’t, tools, crops, religion, philosophies • Selective borrowing- preserve Japanese culture, but integrate new ideas • No Mandate of Heaven, no civil service exam (positions inherited) Japanese expeditions

4. Feudalism and Japanese Social Hierarchy Feudalism- local lords ruled the land; loyal to emperor

5. European Influence • Portuguese set up trade with Japanese in 1543 • Catholic missionaries • Other European nations arrive • 1600s- Japan prosecutes foreign missionaries and Japanese Christians • 1639- Japan closes • No foreigners, no more vessels built, the Japanese that left could not come back in • Only open to China, Korea and Dutch (two ships per year) • Closed for 200 years until the US in mid 1800s

6. Tokugawa Shogunate • Centralized power 1600-1868 • Peaceful and orderly society • Changes • Economic- grew Tokyo into a busy city, improved roads, increased trade, gained wealth, created banks to lend money • Social- education widespread (for wealthy merchants and samurais) ; samurais take gov’t positions (less warfare) Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu  1853-1858

7. End of Isolation • Arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry (US) • Unequal Treaties • Treaty of Kanagawa 1854 • US right to two Japanese ports for supplies • US representative in Japan • Extraterritoriality • Extensive trading rights • Angered many Japanese • Growing unrest • To avoid further humiliation, Japan must become a modern nation.

8. What does a Modern Nation do? Unify and Conquer! In attempting to become a world power, Japan seeks to imitate the West. A factory in Meiji-era Japan

9. What does a Modern Nation do? • Japan doesn’t like the West, but feel they must learn from the West in order to compete. • National pride and unity play a huge role in the modernization of Japan • Unlike China and Korea, Japan is never occupied by a foreign power

10. What does a Modern Nation do? Commodore Perry ends Japanese Isolation in 1853. By 1900, Japan is an industrialized nation. This modernization occurred incredibly quickly. Arrival of Commodore Perry and his Black Ships in Japan Railway line in Yokohama, Japan, ca. 1873

11. The World is Watching • Another way in which Japan sought to imitate the West was through the creation of a large empire • Japan is keenly aware that the world is watching its rise • Argue for the “Yellow Man’s Burden” – Japan must liberate Asians from the control of Europeans. • Must become a colonial power to avoid becoming a colony • Japan is entering the world of imperialism as other nations are beginning to leave it

12. Japan goes to war, and wins 1895 – Japan defeats China • Gains control over Korea and Formosa (now Taiwan) • Marks a significant shift in power in East Asia, not particularly alarming to the rest of the world Battle of Pyongyang

13. Japan goes to war, and wins again 1905 – Japan defeats Russia • Russia had also been fighting for influence in Korea • The world is stunned by this victory • First time in modern history that an Asian nation defeated a major European power • Attitudes toward Japan begin to change with the victory over Russia

14. Japan in the early 20th Century • More power meant a more equal relationship with the West • Access to natural resources that helped further develop and strengthen the nation • Japan is affected by the Great Depression that hits Europe and the United States • Extremist groups in Japan argue for further expansion to ensure strength and prosperity of the nation

15. Japan’s Growing Militarism • Military gains control of the Japanese Government and pushes for continued expansion • Extreme nationalism grows

16. Japan’s Growing Militarism • Resentment for Western powers in Asia grows • Japan believes in its special mission to “liberate” Asia from Western powers. • Japan wants to end Western imperialism in Asia, but does not want Asian nations to grow strong an independent themselves • Desire for all of Asia to be part of the Japanese Empire

17. Japan’s Growing Militarism • Japan takes over Manchuria in 1931. • Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi opposes and is assassinated • As Japan continues to invade China, World War II begins in Europe • 1940 – Japan joins the Axis Powers with Germany and Italy

19. The brutality of Japanese Imperialism • Why does Japanese Imperialism become so brutal? • Korea – the most dramatic story of Japanese imperialism • There is no representation of colonial areas within the Japanese government • The conquered people are not considered part of Japan • The Japanese seek to inflict on others all that they endured under Commodore Perry and the West.

20. The brutality of Japanese Imperialism Does a soldier have the authority to disobey an immoral act? In Japan – No!!! • Officers were brutal to the grunt soldiers, who were brutal to the native people • The generation had been raised with a sense of superiority and invincibility

21. The brutality of Japanese Imperialism • Does a soldier have the authority to disobey an immoral act? In the United States – YES!!! “At Auschwitz, future U.S. military leaders learn what not to do” “I could not live with myself if I carried out an order, knowing that it would harm civilians,” said midshipman Jordan Foley. He said he would follow Navy protocol to protest a questionable order. “The protest must be public and well thought-out,” he said. “My only regret would be if I carried out a questionable order to save my career.”