imperialist japan

The Rise of Imperial Japan How did Japan become an imperial power?

Who was Hediki Tojo?

What was Japan like prior to the arrical of the European in the 1500’s?

•  Japan was a feudal society –  Individual lords (daimyos)

controlled individual lands –  Peasants worked the land in

return for protec<on –  Hired professional soldiers

(samurai) for protec<on •  Bushido -‐ “The Way of the Warrior”

•  No real central government

–  Japanese emperor was a figurehead w/ no real power

–  The islands are ruled by warlords (shoguns)

The Japanese Daimyo

Japanese Peasants

The Samurai

When did the first Europeans arrive in Japan?

•  The first Europeans where shipwrecked sailors in the 1500’s –  Portuguese sailors –  Brought European technology

with them (firearms)

•  At first welcomed, but eventually forced out by the shoguns –  Two hundred (200) years of

isola<on from the rest of the world

When did Japan’s isolation come to an end?

•  In 1853, US naval officer, Commodore Matthew Perry, arrived in Japan –  Forced the shoguns to

accept a trade treaty with the US

•  Perry uses intimidation to gain entry to Japan & threatens the Japanese into a treaty

Commodore Perry’s “Black

Ships”

What Did the U. S. Want from Japan??

Japan offered a variety of different options for the US: v “Coaling stations”

v More trading partners (raw materials)

v  A haven for ship-wrecked sailors

1853 – Commodore Matthew Perry “Opens Up” Japan to Western Trade

What was the Treaty of Kanagawa? •  The Treaty

Kanagawa officially opened Japan to foreign trade –  End of Japan’s 200

years of self-imposed isolation

•  The Shoguns were deeply criticized for signing this treaty

The Treaty of Kanagawa - 1854

President Buchanan & Japan (1859)

What was the Meiji Revolt (1868)? •  The Meiji Revolt was a

revolt designed to remove the shogun from power & give the emperor more influence –  Angry with the shogun for “opening up” Japan

–  Wanted to see the emperor returned to power

•  Believed that the Emperor would return Japan to a traditional way of life

Who came to power as a result of the Meiji Revolt?

MEIJI “Enlightened Rule”

•  Japan’s new emperor is Mutsuhito –  15 years old when he took

power –  A keen interest in Western

technology

•  Believed Japan needed to modernize in order to prevent future invasions from the West

Newspaper Cartoon, 1870’s

Enlightened Half-Enlightened Un-Enlightened

How did the Meiji emperors affect Japan?

Mutsuhito begins a policy of modernization in Japan

v  New slogan: Japanese Spirit; Western Technology!

The Japanese Became Obsessed with Western Styles

Civilization and Enlightenment!

Everything Western Was Fashionable!

Everything Western Was Fashionable!

Japanese soldiers with their wives.

The Rulers Set the Tone with Western Dress

Emperor Mutsuhito Empress Haruko (1868- 1912)

Changing Women’s Fashions

1900 Styles The First “Miss Japan”

(1908)

Samurai Revolts

The Last Samurai (2003)

How did the Meiji reform Japanese

society?

Abolition of the

feudal system

Land Redistribution

Human Rights & Religious Freedom

Build a Modern Navy

(British)

Westernize the School System

(Fr. & Ger.)

Modernize the Army (Germans)

Emperor Worship

Intensified

Written Constitution (Germans)

Modern Banking System

How did the Meiji period change the Japanese government?

The Emperor of Japan

The Diet (Legislative Body)

House of Representatives

House of Peers

Inspired by European constitution & rulers, Emperor Mutsuhito developed a new government for the Japanese people

In the Japanese government, all power is vested in the emperor (“divine right”)

The people of Japan would get a say in their government with the Japanese “Diet” (the Japanese Congress)

The Japanese Diet

Why did Japan become an imperialistic power?

•  Japan became an conquering power for three (3) reasons: –  Raw materials –  Racial attitudes –  Rise of the Japanese

military

•  Japan wished to become a leader / spokesperson for Asia

Sino-Japanese War: 1894-1895

War between China and Japan over control of Korea; After 6 months of conflict, China sued for peace

Soldiers on the Battlefield During the Sino-Japanese War

Japan Annexes Korea (1910-1947)

The Russo-Japanese War: 1904-1905

War between Japan and Russia over Korea and Manchuria; the “first great war of the 20th Century”


Everyone assumed Russia would win because Russia was the old-school

major power…


They were wrong… Russia looses BIG…

Battle of Tsushima (1905)

Of the Russian fleet of 11 battleships and 8 cruisers, plus other ships, only 2 destroyers and a yacht made it to safety!!

The Japanese lost 4 small gunboats.

President Teddy Roosevelt Mediates the Peace

The Treaty of Portsmouth, NH ended the Russo-Japanese War.

Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize (1906)

Japan joins the Allies for World War I (1914)

How did World War I help to influence Japanese imperialism?

•  World War I made Japan the dominate Asian power in the Pacific –  Power –  Prestige –  Land

•  Weakness of the League of Nations gave them opportunity –  Manchuria (1919) –  China (1930’s)

Who was Emperor Hirohito?

•  Emperor Hirohito is the new ruler of Japan in 1920’s –  (1901-1989) –  Grandson of Mutsuhito

•  Allowed the increased power of the military to take over Japan –  Appointment of Hideki

Tojo

Who was Hideki Tojo? •  Hideki Tojo was a military

officer-turned-politician •  (1884-1948) •  Japan’s Prime Minister

–  Heavily influenced by Japanese military tradition (Bushido) •  Ran his own fascist (single-

rule) political party •  Used his own military

victories as a springboard to the PM position

The Manchurian Incident (1931)

Japanese tanks of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria (1931)

The League of Nations does nothing…

Japanese soldiers “conquer” the Great Wall (1933)

Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge (1937)

The “Three All” Campaign Kill All.. Burn All..

Destroy All..

The Rape of Naking (1937)

Children Bayoneted by the Japanese

Japanese Beheadings

Unit 731: Biological Warfare

Chinese Biological Weapon Victims

The Flowers of War (2011)

How did other Asian peoples view Japanese expansion?

•  Some Asian people welcome them as “liberators” from western Imperialists –  Japan viewed as

superior

•  Many Asian peoples will become enslaved due to Japanese conquest

PM Tojo in Berlin (1936)

Signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact (1936)

We’re The Three Best Friends…

Japanese Power Continues to Grow…

imperialist japan

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