Information AboutEmpire Of Japan |
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.]] The Empire of Japan or '''Imperial Japan''' ( term for Japan from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II all through World War I and World War II . The term was specifically assigned to Japan because of the goal to Imperially expand their Territorial control throughout Asia and the Pacific . Ultimatily, it became chief ally of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as part of the Axis Powers of World War II fighting against the Allies with Emperor Hirohito as Symbol and leader of Japan . Politically, it covers the period from the enforced establishment of prefectures in place of feudal domains (廃藩置県; ''Hai-han Chi-ken'') in July 14 , 1871 , through the expansion of Japan from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean during rapid Industrialization and Militarization of Japan, up until the formal surrender in September 2 , 1945 , when the Instrument Of Surrender was signed immediately after Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki by US . Constitutionally, it refers to the period of November 29 , 1890 , to May 3 , 1947 . BRIEF DESCRIPTION Shōwa (Hirohito), Emperor of Japan during World War II]] The Japanese Empire and '''Imperial Japan''' are commonly known and used, referring to the same entity, though the literal translation of the title in Japanese is the '''Empire of Great Japan'''. It was a major Axis Power and a key Ally of Nazi Germany 's aggressive global policies. Emperor Hirohito was the Emperor Of Japan during this period of Japanese history, though the emperor took on the role of a Constitutional Monarch after Japan's defeat in World War two. Japan's main military branches were the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy and both were considered one of most powerful in the world prior to the Second World War. During this period in Japan, there was rapid Industrialization and increase of military resources. One example is the nationalized Navy that was able to defeat both Russia and China in territorial wars. After this rapid industralization before the 1940s, Japan adopted a policy of outward expansion to acquire foreign colonies and resources, eyeing China , Korea and Southeast Asia . The country had been called the Empire of Japan since the feudal anti-shogunate domains, Satsuma and Chōshū , formed the base of their new government during the Meiji Restoration , with the intention of making it an empire. Hideki Tojo ]] Although it was in the 1889 Constitution Of The Empire Of Japan that the title Empire of Japan was officially used for the first time, it was not until 1936 that the proper official title of the country was legalized. Meanwhile, the names "''Nippon''" (日本; Japan), "''Dai-Nippon''" (大日本; Great Japan), "''Dai-Nippon/-Nihon Koku''" (大日本国; Nation of Great Japan), "''Nihon Teikoku''" (日本帝国; Empire of Japan) were all used officially. In 1946 , a year after the close of the war, Japan was restructured, and the country's title was once again revised, to “ The State Of Japan ” (日本国; ''Nihon Koku'') in the draft in the 1946 Constitution Of Japan . Meiji Restoration The Meiji Revolution was the catalyst towards industrialization in Japan that led to the rise of the island nation as a military power by 1905, under the slogan of "National Wealth and Military Strength" ( Fukoku Kyohei , 富国強兵). Leaders of Empire of Japan
MILITARY ]] Military of Imperial Japan was the Imperial Japanese Military divided into two main services under Imperial General Headquarters responsible for the overall conduct of operations including prominent military leaders and commanders:
WORLD WAR I ]] Japan entered World War I in 1914, seizing the opportunity of Germany 's distraction with the European War and wanting to expand its sphere of influence in China . Japan declared war on Germany in August 23, 1914 and quickly occupied German-leased territories in China's Shandong Province and the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands in the Pacific (then called German New Guinea). The Battle of Tsingtao, a swift invasion in the German colony of Jiaozhou (Kiautschou) proved successful and the colonial troops surrendered on November 7 1914. With Japan's Western allies, notably the United Kingdom , heavily involved in the war in Europe, it sought further to consolidate its position in China by presenting the Twenty-One Demands to China in January 1915. Besides expanding its control over the German holdings, Manchuria, and Inner Mongolia, Japan also sought joint ownership of a major mining and metallurgical complex in central China, prohibitions on China's ceding or leasing any coastal areas to a third power, and miscellaneous other political, economic, and military controls, which, if achieved, would have reduced China to a Japanese protectorate. In the face of slow negotiations with the Chinese government, widespread anti-Japanese sentiments in China, and international condemnation, Japan withdrew the final group of demands, and treaties were signed in May 1915 WORLD WAR II On September 4 , 1941 , the Japanese Cabinet met to consider the war plans prepared by Imperial General Headquarters , and decided that: Our Empire, for the purpose of self-defence and self-preservation, will complete preparations for war ... Invasions China Japan set its sights on China , Korea and other countries in Southeast Asia as a result of a critical lack of resources. Japan needed these resources to continue its rapid industrialization and development. After conquering some of the territories of these nations, it started contesting Russia's far-eastern territory and eventually began to invade eastern Mongolia . Japan turned to a government form that was very similar to Fascism as a result of the Great Depression . Although this unique style of government was very similar to Fascism, there were many significant differences and has therefore been termed Japanese Nationalism . Unlike the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini , Japan had two economic goals in developing an empire. First, Japan's tightly controlled domestic military industry jump-started the nation's economy in the midst of the depression. Japan was forced to import raw materials such as Iron , Oil , and Coal to maintain strong growth in the industrial sector due to the lack of natural resources on Japan's home islands. Most of these raw materials came from the United States . As a result of this military-industrial development scheme and the industrial growth of Japan, Mercantilist theories prevailed. The Japanese felt that resource-rich Colonies were needed to compete with European powers. Korea ( 1910 ) and Formosa ( Taiwan 1895 ) had earlier been annexed primarily as agricultural colonies. In addition to Korea and Formosa, Japan primarily targeted Manchuria 's iron and coal, Indochina 's Rubber , and China 's agricultural resources. With little resistance, Japan invaded and conquered Manchuria in 1931 . Japan claimed that this invasion was a liberation of the Manchus from the Chinese, just as it had claimed that the annexation of Korea was an act of protection. Japan then established a puppet regime called Manchukuo , and estabilshed the former Emperor Of China Puyi as the official Head Of State . Jehol , a Chinese territory bordering Manchuria, was also taken in 1933 . Japan invaded China in 1937 , creating what was essentially a three-way war between Japan, Mao Zedong 's communists, and Jiang Jieshi 's nationalists. In that same year, the Nationalist capital of Nanking fell to Japanese troops. The event, known as the Nanking Massacre , happened in the winter of 1937 and it is estimated that nearly 300,000 people, almost entirely comprised of civilians, were killed. Manchuria Korea Malaysia Thailand Indonesia Philippines Australia Pearl Harbor The Imperial Japanese Navy made its attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, was aimed at the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine air forces. The U.S. public saw the attack as a treacherous act and rallied against the Empire of Japan, causing the United States to enter World War II. Atrocities in foreign territories "]] Nanking Massacre The Nanking Massacre, commonly known as "The Rape of Nanking", refers to the most infamous of the war crimes committed by the Japanese military during World War II—acts carried out by Japanese troops in and around Nanjing (then known in English as Nanking), China, after it fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on December 13, 1937. The duration of the massacre is not clearly defined, although the period of carnage lasted well into the next six weeks, until early February 1938. The extent of the atrocities is hotly debated, with numbers ranging from the claim of the Japanese army at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East that the death toll was military in nature and that no such atrocities ever occurred, to the Chinese claim of a non-combatant death toll of 300,000. The West has generally tended to adopt the Chinese point-of-view, with many Western sources now quoting 300,000 dead. This is in no small part due to the commercial success of Iris Chang 's " The Rape Of Nanking ", which set the stage for the debate of the issue in the West; and the existence of extensive photographic records of the mutilated bodies of women and children. PATH TO DEFEAT On December 7 , 1941 , the Japanese Empire made a surprise Attack On Pearl Harbor naval base with the intention to destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet. The primary objective of the attack was to incapacitate the United States long enough for Japan to establish its long-planned Southeast Asian empire and defensible buffer zones. The surprise attack would provoke the United States into World War II on the side of the Allied powers. After a few months of unconcentrated naval engagements, Japan would suffer a major military defeat at the Battle Of Midway , and lose most of its offensive carrier capabilities. From this point until its surrender in August 1945 , the Japanese would focus on defending their territorial gains. Battle of Midway After the Attack On Pearl Harbor , Imperial Japan lost its major battle in Battle Of Midway against the Allied Powers , which was a turning point of aggressive military force and invasion by Imperial Japan. This was the beginning of the end for imperial Japan as a viable military force in the world. Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States dropped two Nuclear Weapon s on Japan at the end of the World War II . The Atomic Bomb ing was the first and last used against another nation in a time of war. These bombs killed around 100,000–200,000 people in a matter of minutes, and many more people died as a result of Nuclear Radiation in the following weeks, months, and years. DEFEAT AND SURRENDER ]] Seven days after the Atomic Bombings Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki , Empire of Japan signed unconditional surrender and ended the war with the Allies in Potsdam Declaration . TIMELINE
Emperors of the Empire of Japan
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