EFFECTS OF PERRY’S MISSION…

JAPAN WAS FORCED TO

ACCEPT THAT IT COULD NO

LONGER STAY ISOLATED FROM

THE REST OF THE WORLD

NEW GOVERNMENT WAS

FORMED RULED BY THE “MEIJI”

A GROUP THAT WANTED

GOVERNMENT REFORM

EFFECTS OF MEIJI RESTORATION

FROM THIS… …TO THIS

EFFECTS OF MEIJI RESTORATION

FROM THIS… …TO THIS

EFFECTS OF MEIJI RESTORATION

After contact with the

U.S. Fleet in Edo Harbor,

Japanese realized they

had to modernize.

Political turmoil leads to

the establishment of an

Emperor and military

Junta.

Japan quickly adopts

Western dress, military

technology and ideas.

Samurai propaganda is

used to fuel hunger for

war and conquest.

Japan modernized in very

quick time…

WARS WITH RUSSIA AND CHINA

China and Japan both

claimed territory on the

Korean peninsula

because of its strategic

importance.

In 1894-95 Japan and

Chino fought the Sino-

Japanese War…

Japan ultimately won the conflict with China and left many thousands of troops in Korea…

…which led to revolts by

the Koreans and a hard-

line military response

from Japan over the next

decade.

Japan’s military expansion was swift and effective, driving the Chinese forces to defeat. This was a shock as China was vastly superior (it was thought).

CHINESE SURRENDER

TO JAPANESE 1895

THEN THE RUSSIANS…

Russia had long sought a Pacific sea port that would not freeze.

Manchuria was the perfect location…

Russia invaded in 1898… JAPAN RESISTED!

NAVAL WARFARE

Battle of Tsushima Straight

Russia suffered a humiliating defeat

JAPAN in WWI

During WWI, Japan allied with Britain in exchange for

territory.

Japan had a limited role in attacking German bases, which

Japan was then able to keep for itself following the war.

Japan used WWI to consolidate its position and military

might

Following WWI, the military and Emperor took more and

more control over Japanese life until Japan was essentially a

miltary dictatorship in all but name.

Japan mobilizes for conquest…

THE CONQUEST of CHINA

In the mid-1930’s Japan tried to use its new power to intimidate China into a one-sided and unfair trade agreement.

Negotiations broke down because of internal political strife in China and Japan’s unrealistic demands.

In 1937, Japan invaded China, using the broken negotiations as a pre-text…

Japanese soldiers launch a poison gas

attack on Shanghai

RAPE OF NANKING

In NANKING 30,000 women were raped, tortured and ritually executed in a single event

Japanese atrocities rivaled

those of NAZI Germany

Japanese commit horrid

atrocities upon

conquered populations:

Execution

Rape

Torture

Slave labor

No one really knows how

many people the

Japanese massacred,

but some put it as high

as 200,000…

Mass executions were

common

Beheadings were popular

Japanese Grand Strategy: Acquire Resources