History of Japan

The history of Japan, the large island nation off the coast of China and Korea comes in three stages: the period of interaction with China and East Asia, isolation, and opening to the world.

Isolation

In 1603, the Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture.

Opening

Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the United States of America in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernise and industrialise.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-1932. Japan occupied Manchuria (Dongbei), and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked U.S. forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia.

After its defeat in World War II, Japan was occupied by the U.S. until 1952, and recovered from the effects of the war to become an economic power, staunch American ally and a democracy. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally.

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