[4] Japan Modernizes

Matthew Perry

Arrived in Tokyo to request relations between the two countries (America and Japan) He asked for this by providing a letter from the President Millard Fillmore. The President wanted commercial relations and allow free trade between the two countries because it would be beneficial to both countries.

How did Japan react when it was forced to accept unequal treaties?

Japan didn't have enough military strength to deny Matthew Perry and American ships even if they had decided to. United States took advantage of this and won the right to have low taxes on imports and territory rights.

Analyze the factors contributing to Japan's drive for empire. How did industrialization help start Japan on an imperialist course?

Japan knew that in order to succeed they must start with Heavy Industry, not Light Industry. "Guns vs. Butter". The Japanese government also initiated public (Post Office) and private sectors (Apple, other companies). The government took control over business ventures and subsidized them. The close relationship between government and industry is what Japan is still known for today.

Why was control of Korea desirable to both China and Japan?

Japan was an island without many resources, but Korea has many including coal, people to use, etc. Korea can be used to do more industrialization. Now the Koreans were suffering and digging in mines, but Japan still received all the profits. Korea was the first casualty of the Japanese expansionism. They were treated horribly. Korea was also in the path of the direction and way to China...

What problems weakened shogun rule in Japan in the mid-1800s?

Japan was forced under many unequal treaties. Their boundaries and borders were tempered with and stress from outside influences took over the shogun. Outside influences were coming into Japan and they were not strong enough to defend or deny any unwanted influences.

By the mid-1800s, why did so many groups of people in Japan feel discontented?

Matthew Perry came into a Japanese harbor with four warships. Some felt that opening trading and relations with the West would not be a good advantage for Japan because they could be negatively affected in politics and morals. Some Japanese did want to learn influences from the foreigners. By the 1850s, the US starting winning extraterritorial rights and low taxes on American imports, the Europeans soon followed these trends. The Japanese were internally weakened because of this new control in their country over trade.

Explain how problems in Japanese society and the opening of Japan to other countries led to the Meiji Restoration.

Once Japan agreed with Matthew Perry and opened relations with America, the Europeans immediately began to make the same requests for relations. Japan opened two ports and returned American sailors who had landed on Japanese shores prior to the opening.

The "restoration" of the Meiji emperor as head of state in 1868 marked the beginning of profound changes in Japanese politics, culture, and society.

Once the Meiji emperor was restored, Japan started learning more and more from the west. Western technologies would be very useful for Japan, but they still did not want the Western culture...The technologies they took included trains and road systems. They also learned that understanding laws would help them to avoid unequal treaties.

Zaibatsu

Since the late 1800s, powerful banking and industrial families in Japan

Homogenous Society

Society in which the people share a common ethnic and cultural background

Meiji Resoration

The Japanese felt that they needed to restore the Emperor. The goal was "A rich country, a strong military." This led Japan to start learning from the West. Individuals were sent overseas to learn Western Ways. Japan still only wanted Western techniques, but not culture. FUKUZAWA YUKICHI wrote books on Western culture. The Meiji got rid of feudalism and political power was restored with the emperor and his close advisors. This restoration brought about great economic changes and social structure to Japan once again. The Meiji also got rid of the Samurai because they felt all classes should be equal.

What was the nature of these changes and how did they help strengthen Japan so that it could resist Western pressure.

The Japanese wanted to learn the most about the West because you cannot defeat what you are unfamiliar with. In order to become more familiar with the West, delegates were sent to the West to see, learn, and report back. FUKUZAWA YUKICHI was one of the most important reformers that visited America, his life reflects changing Japanese values as a whole.

Russo-Japanese War

The Russians thought they could defeat the Japanese, but they did not. Korea was constantly an important area between Russia and Japan. Japan also wanted areas in Manchuria. The largest Western nation and the highest military Asian power became in conflict, it took the Russians by surprise when the Japanese won. Although the Japanese did not see themselves as Chinese, vice versa etc, it still brought about nationalism between Asian countries. Partly fueled by Japan's success was a sense of real destiny that imperialistic nations before them had gained.

How did Japan change course in the late 1800s?

The daimyo and samurai started a revolt to bring the Meiji emperor to power. The Meiji Emperor brought about the Meiji Restoration, which included the forming of a strong military.

First Sino-Japanese War

This war proved Japan to be a higher power than China because of its modernized power even though China had more resources. They gained Taiwan and gave them confidence.