Japan Modernizes Ch. 12, Section 2 (page 340)

Japan Ends Its Isolation Early 17th century- Japan shut itself off from almost all contact with other nations Rigid social system kept Japan free of civil war- relative prosperity and peace Has almost no contact with the industrialized world during time of isolation Traded with China & Dutch traders in Indonesia Diplomatic contact with Korea

Demand for Foreign Trade Early 1800s- Westerners begin trying to convince Japan to open ports Japan continues to refuse 1853- US Commodore Matthew Perry took 4 ships to Tokyo Harbor Massive ships with cannons & rifles Perry delivers letter from US President Millard Fillmore

Treaty of Kanagawa While the letter from President Fillmore was polite, it was delivered with a threat from Perry. He would return in 1 year with a larger fleet of ships for Japan’s reply.

Treaty of Kanagawa Japan’s reply to the United States 1854 Japan opens 2 ports where the US ships can take on supplies Once US opens the door to Japan other countries join By 1860- Japan had granted foreigners permission to trade at several treaty ports Granted extraterritorial rights to many foreign nations.

Meiji Era Japanese were very angry with the shogun Turn to young emperor, Mutsuhito Seemed to symbolize Japanese pride and nationalism 1867, Tokugawa shogun steps down Ends military dictatorship that began in 12th century Meiji “enlightened rule” is name Mutsuhito uses for his reign Lasts 45 years and is known as Meiji Era

Meiji Era Best way to counter Western influence was to modernize Diplomats sent to Europe and North America Admired Germany’s strong central government Used their constitution as a model for their own Admired discipline of German army & skill of British navy Adopted US’s universal public education Teachers often included foreign experts Students could go abroad to study

Meiji Era- By 20th Century Japanese economy was as modern as any in the world Built 1st railroad line & had 7000 miles of railway by 1914 Coal production increased State-sponsored companies built thousands of factories Traditional Japanese industries (tea processing & silk production) expanded Modern industries made Japan competitive with the West

Imperial Japan By 1890, Japan had several dozen warships & 500,000 well-armed soldiers Strongest military in Asia Sought to eliminate extraterritorial rights of foreigners Assure foreigners they could rely on fair treatment due to constitution & legal codes Abolished in 1894 As power grew, Japan becomes more imperialistic Lots of national pride

Japan Attacks China 1876, Japan forces Korea to open 3 ports to Japanese trade China also considered Korea to be an important trading & military outpost 1885, both countries pledge they will not send armies to Korea 1894, China breaks agreement Korean king asks for China’s help with rebellion & they send troops Japan sends troops to fight Chinese

Sino-Japanese War Last a few months Japan wins Drove China out of Korea Destroyed Chinese navy Gained foothold in Manchuria 1985, both countries sign peace treaty Gives Japan its 1st colonies Taiwan & Pescadores Islands

Pescadores Islands

Russo-Japanese War Russia & Japan- major powers and enemies in East Asia 1903- Japan offers to recognize Russia’s right in Manchuria IF Russia agreed to stay out of Korea Russia refuses Feb, 1904- Japan surprise attacks Russian ship off coast of Manchuria Japan drives Russia out of Korea & captures most of Russia’s Pacific & Baltic fleets Treaty of Portsmouth gave Japan everything it wanted

Japan Occupation of Korea Attacks Korea with a vengeance 1905, becomes protectorate Sent in “advisors” who grabbed more and more power from Korean government Korean king unable to rally international support for regime 1907, gave up control to Japan Within 2 years, Korean Imperial Army disbanded 1910, Japan officially annexed Korea

Japan Occupation of Korea Japanese harsh rulers Shut down Korean newspapers Took over Korean schools Replaced Korean studies with Japanese language and history Took land from Korean farmers & gave to Japanese subjects Forbid Koreans from starting businesses while encouraging Japanese Creates strong Korean nationalist movement

Western Views of the East When Japan wins Russo-Japanese War, Japanese see themselves as equals to the West. Westerners see this differently & leads to a form of Western racism Influenced by Germany’s Emperor Wilhelm II- the West imagined Japan uniting with China & conquering Europe This leads to racist Western fear that was called yellow peril and would influence world politics for many decades