Key Terms – The Meiji Restoration Tokugawa Shogunate Commodore Matthew Perry The Meiji Diet Russo-Japanese War Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere

Background The Tokugawa Shogunate had come into power in 1603 and managed to gain control by maintaining control of its daimyos. Japan was under a policy of isolationism from 1612 forward as a means of reducing European influence. The Shoguns would only allow one trading port to be open (Nagasaki) to foreigners, specifically the Dutch. As more ideas filtered into Japan, they began to look towards reforming the old Japanese government systems.

U.S. Intervention Foreign powers had been unsuccessful in setting up trade relations with Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Under threat of gunboat tactics, the shogun was forced to initiate trade with the United States. Commodore Matthew Perry → U.S. naval officer who entered Japan and forced a treaty allowing trade.

Treaty Stipulations The treaty allowed for two ports to be opened up to trade with the United States. It also allowed for a consul to oversee trading affairs between the U.S. and Japan. Eventually, more ports would open up to other countries and the United States would be given further privileges while in Japan in exchange for help modernizing. This contact with the Western nations helped Japan realize that it needed to modernize quickly to catch up to the other nations.

The Meiji Restoration In 1867, the Japanese nobles forced the shogun to resign and reinstated the power of the emperor under the new Emperor Meiji. Under the Meiji, Japan modernized faster than any other nation had. A national army and navy were created, schools were constructed, new machinery and systems of communication made their way into Japan. Japan created its first constitution in 1889 which created a diet → parliament. Political parties were created and bushido was reinforced.

Japanese Expansion Being an archipelago, Japan lacked many of the natural resources necessary to maintain a modern army. To make up for this deficiency, they began to colonize other areas. It acquired Korea (sphere of influence) and Taiwan from China in the Sino-Japanese War.

Russo-Japanese War Japan would engage Russia in the Russo- Japanese War in 1904 over control of Manchuria and Korea. Japan would weaken Russia enough to step out of the war and cede control of Korea and Russian spheres of influence in China. Japan would also acquire territory from Germany from World War I.

Russo-Japanese War

Results Japan would use its new colonial landholdings to create the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere → an attempt to unify the Eastern Asian territories under Japanese rule. Japan would modernize its country faster than any other had and its empire would survive through World War II.