The Rise of Japan
With
a culture dating back to 8000 B.C., Japan has one of the oldest civilizations
in the world. This culture is filled with powerful figures -- great emperors
and samurai warriors that wrestled for dominance over the rest of the population.
The people of Japan were used to living under this type of authority, believing,
for example, that their Emperor was a direct descendant of the sun goddess
revered in many of Japan's modern-day symbols. After all, the nickname of
Japan is "The Land of the Rising Sun".
Though the Emperor was revered, Japan was effectively controlled by its
military leaders for almost seven centuries. The title of Shogunates has
been given to these leaders, who first were drawn to court politics in the
1100's and managed to take over through a war in 1180. They continued to
dominate until 1854, when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to abandon
its previous isolation.
Thus began the infiltration of foreigner influence in Japanese affairs.
At one period in time, samurai tried to exclude foreigners through attacks.
These futile actions, of course, were quickly abandoned.
But rather than setting a trend for further foreign influence, the humiliation
and futility the Japanese faced at the hand of Perry made their leaders
determined to rebuild Japanese society into a modern powerhouse. The authority
of the shogun Tokugawa family came into question. A coalition of new leaders
emphasizing the motto of fukoku-kyohei ("rich country, strong
army") were soon able to end the Shogunate and bring in the Meiji Restoration,
named after the emperor who oversaw that time period.
In accordance with the motto of "rich country, strong army", the
feudal society was abandoned for a modern, industrialized one, and several
warrior classes were abolished. Successful modernization led to the decrease
of foreign influence and the ending of extraterritoriality (foreigners not
having to obey the laws of the country they are in) in 1899.
Thus, as the 20th century began, the Japanese were in a far better position
than their neighbors elsewhere in the continent. Led by the oligarchy
of former samurais, who had began building up a formidable military, Japan
soon had visions to control Asia and the Pacific. Just liked Germans in
Europe, the Japanese aimed for global recognition… and perhaps global
dominance.
This section will tell the story of how the premiere war power in Asia sought
to achieve their goals. And, of course -- with our modern perspective --
how the military dreams were abandoned.
