Major Powers of Asia: Japan

Flashcards covering the geography, history, geopolitics, political system, political parties, social movements, and international stances of Japan, as presented in the lecture notes.

Japan

A country on the east coast of Asia, beside North and South Korea, stretching approximately 1,500 miles (2,400km) Northwest of the Pacific Ocean.

Main Islands of Japan

The four main islands of Japan are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

Ken

Plain or proper prefectures in Japan (43/47).

Dō

Districts; example is Hokkaido.

To

Metropolitan prefectures; example is the Capital of Tokyo.

Fu

Urban prefectures; examples are Ōsaka and Kyōto.

Seismic Activity in Japan

Japan experiences approximately 1,000 tremors annually.

Jomon Period (13000 BC to 300 BC)

Inhabitants were gatherers, fishers, and hunters. The name of the Era’s pottery.

Yayoi Period (300 BC to 250 AD)

Rice culture was imported to Japan in 100BC. Agriculture was first introduced. Social classes started evolving into powerful land owners.

Kofu period / Yamato Japan(250-538AD)

Central power develops in the Kinai Plains; country gets unified as Yamato Japan by 400AD which the political center was the Province of Yamato (present day Nara prefecture.

Asuka Period (538-710)

Buddhism was introduced in japan. Prince Shotoku played an essential role in promoting Chinese ideals. He wrote the Constitution of Seventeen Articles on moral and political principles

Kamakura Period (1192-1333)

Minamoto Yoritomo won the Genpei war after defeating the Taira clan in 1185 and established the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192. Mongol Invasion attempt on Kyushu Islands in 1127

Muromachi Period (1333-1573)

Emperor Go-Daigo was able to restore imperial power to Kyoto after overthrowing the Kamakura Shogunate. Christianity was first introduced in this era in 1542 by Portuguese traders and Jesuit Missionaries upon arriving in Kyushu.

Azuchi-Momoya Period (1573-1603)

This period had civil wars and militant sects that Oda Nobunaga dealt with as he emerged as the most powerful daimyo at the time and toppled the Ashikaga Shogunate.

Heian Period (794-1185)

Transfer of the imperial capital to Heian Kyo (present day Kyoto) and was a period of flourishing culture and the rise of court aristocracy.

Tokugawa or Edo Period (1603-!868)

Final period of traditional Japan, remembered as a time of internal peace, stability, and economic growth under the Shogunate established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Leaders of the restoration saw that the Westerners depended on Constitutionalism for national unity, on industrialization for material strength, and on a well-trained military to ensure national security.

World War II (1941-1947)

Japan joined by attacking Pearl Harbor.

Sakoku Policy

Restricted Japan and enforced the self-isolation of the country.

Fukoku Kyohei

Enrich the country, strengthen the army.

risturyō system

Historical legal and governmental system in Japan which was heavily influenced by the Chinese Legal Administrative models..

House of Representatives (Shugiin)

The lower house of Japan's Diet.

House of Councillors (Sangiin)

The upper house of Japan's Diet.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

Conservative to moderate in its political ideology and has held power almost continuously since its formation in 1955.

Japanese Communist Party

One of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. It began in 1922 and has never been in power.

Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP)

Moderate centrist liberal platform that combines a free market economy with policies such as progressive taxation, strong welfare policies, and investment in renewable energy.

Political Culture in Japan

Considered an apolitical society; chances of collective mobilization are quite low.

Russo-Japanese Struggle: Kuril Islands

Conflict between Russia and Japan because of a group of islands that is found in the north of Japan, stretching from Hokkaido to the southern tip of Russia, which is the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Korea-Japan Dispute: Dokdo/ Takeshima

Dispute Between Japan and South Korea, because of two small islands.

Japan-China Dispute: Senkaku/Diaoyu

The Diaoyu Islands, or the Senkaku for the Japanese, is an uninhabited chain of Islands South of Okinawa found in the East China Sea Claimed by China, Taiwan, and Japan.

KuToo Movement

Movement was started by a Japanese Actress, Freelance Writer, and Part-time Funeral Parlor worker, Yumi Ishikawa, in 2019. To prohibit companies and businesses from requiring women to wear heels.