Key Events and Figures in Modern Japanese History

Bakumatsu

Bakumatsu

Refers to the final years of the Edo period (1853-1867) in Japan when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. This era was marked by internal turmoil, and external threat with foreign pressure to open Japan to trade by Commodore Perry, and the eventual fall of the shogunate.

Commodore Matthew C. Perry

A U.S. naval officer who played a crucial role in the opening of Japan to the West in 1853-1854. Perry's 'Black Ships' pressured the Tokugawa shogunate into opening ports to US.

Sonnō-jōi

It became a rallying cry for enemies of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the movement indirectly caused the Boshin War uprising against the pro-foreigner shogunate.

Ansei Treaties

A series of unequal treaties signed in 1858 between Japan and Western powers (e.g., the U.S., the UK, France, and Russia). These treaties opened Japan to trade but also compromised its sovereignty, sparking domestic outrage.

Aizawa Seishisai

Writings helped provoke the movement that in 1868 overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate and restored power to the emperor.

Kokutai

Can be translated as 'national body' and 'national essence'. Loyalty to the emperor with the people of Japan acting together.

Meiji Tennō

The emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912. Meiji came to be emperor as the Tokugawa shogunate was ending and power was being restored to the emperor.

Boshin War

A civil war (1868-1869) fought between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to restore the Emperor to political power.

Ishin

Short for Meiji Ishin (Meiji Restoration), referring to the period of rapid modernization and political change that ended feudal Japan and established a constitutional monarchy under the Emperor.

Yūrei

Ghosts, often depicted as spirits of the dead who cannot move on to the afterlife due to unresolved matters or strong emotions.

Typically depicted as long-haired females in white dresses

Ueda Akinari

Writer of the Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain) read by the well educated in Edo Period.

Tsuruya Nanboku

He was a playwright known for his ghost plays.

Intertextuality

A literary concept where a text references or is shaped by other texts, either explicitly or implicitly

Bunmei kaika

A slogan during the Meiji period that can be translated as "civilization and enlightenment"

Iwakura Mission

A diplomatic journey (1871-1873) during the Meiji period, led by Iwakura Tomomi and other statesmen. They observed conditions in the United States and Europe and tried to renegotiate unequal treaties.

Charter Oath

This was a five-point declaration issued in 1868 by Emperor Meiji, outlining the goals of the Meiji government. Served as a guiding framework for Japan's modernization and democratization during the Meiji Restoration.

Privy Council

An advisory council to the Emperor of Japan. Advised the emperor on constitutional matters.

Zaibatsu

Industrial and financial business conglomerates whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji periods until the end of the Pacific War.

Kokumin

Translates to 'citizen' and refers to the concept of a unified national identity that emerged as Japan rapidly modernized and adopted Western ideas, essentially creating a sense of belonging to the nation as a whole.

Yanagita Kunio

He collected and analyzed Japanese oral traditions, myths, and customs and advocated for the study of common people's culture (minzoku).

Sasaki Kizen

He compiled folktales and became known as the Japanese Grimm.

Kappa

A water-dwelling creature that is said to live in the ponds, rivers, and lakes of Japan.

Treaty of Shimonoseki

A treaty signed in 1895 between Japan and Qing China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. China recognized Korea's independence (Japanese hegemony in Korea). Japan got territory and money.

Treaty of Portsmouth

A treaty signed in 1905 that ended the Russo-Japanese War. Japan gained control of the South Manchuria Railway and the Liaodong Peninsula. Japan was recognized as the dominant power in Korea.

Taishō Tennō

Japanese emperor after Emperor Meiji.

Never seen in public

• One of the more mysterious sovereigns of Japanese history

• He didn’t truly rule the oligarchy did

Versailles Peace Conference

An international conference held in 1919 to negotiate the terms of peace following World War I. Secured German territories in China (Shandong) and Pacific islands under a League of Nations mandate.

South Manchuria Railway Company

Japan established the South Manchurian Railway Company (SMRC) in 1906, following its victory in the Russo-Japanese War. Served as a vehicle for Japanese imperial ambitions in China.

Kwantung Army

Branch of the Imperial Japanese Army stationed in Manchuria. Played a major role in Japan's expansion into Manchuria, including the orchestration of the Mukden Incident (1931), which led to the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Gotō Shinpei

Head of the South Manchuria Railway Company.

Tōjō Hideki

He served as Prime Minister during World War II. Tried and executed as a war criminal.

General Election Law

A law enacted in Japan in 1925, which extended suffrage to all male citizens aged 25 or older. It marked a significant step toward democratization during the Taishō era.

Peace Preservation Law

A series of laws enacted in Japan in 1925 aimed at suppressing political dissent, particularly targeting communists and dissolution of unions.

Shōwa Tennō (Hirohito)

The emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989

Unheimlich

A German term meaning 'uncanny' used by Sigmund Freud to describe something both strange and familiar

Takahashi Korekiyo

Low-rank bureaucrat and member of Seiyūkai (political party in the Lower House of the Diet of Japan). He implemented fiscal policies during the Great Depression that helped stabilize Japan's economy, but his opposition to military spending led to his assassination in 1936

Imperial Way Faction

A faction within the Japanese military during the 1930s advocating for expansionist policies, loyalty to the emperor, and a militarized, authoritarian government characterized by extreme nationalism, militarism, and aggressive expansionist policies, advocating for a dominant Japanese role in Asia, often pushing for a military government with strong belief in the divine right of the Emperor

Manchukuo

A puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria after its invasion.

Control Faction

Rival faction to the Imperial Way Faction within the Japanese military. They had control over the Japanese military.

Konoe Fumimaro

Member of the court nobility and politician who served as Prime Minister leading up to World War 2. He proposed a 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' under Japanese leadership.

Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

A concept promoted by Japan during World War 2 to justify imperial expansion in Asia. It started from Fumimaro's New Order in East Asia which had very vague ideas of Asia for Asians, world peace, asian self-sufficiency, anti-communism, and asian stability and was later renamed Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Executive Order 9066

An order signed by U.S. President FDR in 1942 that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans and other groups during World War II.

General Douglas MacArthur

An American general who led Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II and oversaw the occupation and reconstruction of Japan as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP).

Kamikaze

Means 'divine wind'. Refers to Japanese suicide pilots during World War II who crashed their planes into enemy ships as a tactic to inflict damage on Allied forces.

Hibakusha

A term meaning 'bomb-affected people,' used to describe survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

SCAP

The title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the U.S.-led Allied occupation of Japan after World War II, overseeing Japan's reconstruction.

Reverse Course

A shift in U.S. policy during the occupation of Japan (1947-1952) that prioritized economic recovery and anti-communism over initial goals of demilitarization and democratization with the heating up of the Cold War.

International Military Tribunal for the Far East

A war crimes tribunal held in Tokyo from 1946 to 1948 to prosecute Japanese leaders for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during World War II.

Ikeda Hayato

Politician who served as Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Japan.

Income Doubling Plan: A policy initiated by Prime Minister Ikeda Hayato in 1960 aimed at doubling Japan's GDP within a decade by promoting investment, infrastructure development, and education.

MITI

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry was a Japanese government agency that played a central role in guiding Japan's post-war economic recovery and industrial policy.

Japan Self-Defense Forces

Japan's military organization, established in 1954, for defensive purposes only, as dictated by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.

Liberal Democratic Party

Japan's largest political party, established in 1955, which has been in power for most of the years since its founding. Known for its conservating policies.

Bikini Incident

A 1954 nuclear test conducted by the U.S. at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands resulted in radioactive fallout affecting a Japanese fishing boat leading many of its crew to get radiation sickness.

Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan

A 1960 treaty that formalized the U.S.-Japan alliance, granting the U.S. the right to maintain military bases in Japan.

Anpo Protests

Massive protests in Japan caused by public backlash against the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, primarily due to the perception of a large American military presence on Japanese soil.

High Growth

Refers to Japan's period of rapid economic expansion from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, characterized by industrialization, technological advancement, and a significant rise in living standards.

Nakasone Yasuhiro

A Japanese Prime Minister (1982-1987) of the LDP known for his efforts to privatize industries, strengthen U.S.-Japan relations, and enhance Japan's international presence.

Plaza Accord

A 1985 agreement among five major economies (U.S., Japan, West Germany, France, and the U.K.) to depreciate the U.S. dollar and address trade imbalances, which led to the value of the Japanese yen rising.

Heisei Tennō

The emperor of Japan from 1989 to 2019, during the Heisei era. He focused on achieving world peace.

Great Hanshin Earthquake

A devastating earthquake that struck Kobe and the surrounding area, revealing the ineffectiveness of political infrastructure and local state support.

Sarin Terrorist Attack

Domestic terroristic attack by a Japanese religious sect that released sarin gas in the Tokyo subway below Diet in Japan to prove it vulnerable.

Aum Shinrikyō

Japanese religious sect responsible for the 1995 Sarin terrorist attack in the Tokyo subway.

Koizumi Jun'ichirō

Japanese prime minister and LDP president that believed in Japan uniqueness and right of primacy in Asia.

Yasukuni Shrine

A Shinto shrine in Tokyo honoring Japan's war dead, including some convicted war criminals.

Great Tōhoku Earthquake

A massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, leading to thousands of deaths and triggering a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Incident

A nuclear disaster triggered by the 2011 Great Tōhoku Earthquake and tsunami, leading to reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Abe Shinzō

Japanese Prime Minister known for his economic policies called 'Abenomics' that focused on reviving the Japanese economy and promoting investment.

Cool Japan

A government-sponsored initiative to promote Japanese culture, including anime, fashion, cuisine, and technology, as a form of soft power to enhance Japan's global influence.

Reiwa Tennō

The current emperor of Japan marking the beginning of the Reiwa era which means command harmony (forced harmony).