China and Japan: A Comparative Study

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The history of modern Japan and China are very similar to each other, but the two countries have turned out so differently. China is the largest Communist country with the largest population in the world. Japan is a major, democratic superpower with the densest population per capita in the world. Throughout the Modern East Asian course, I have learned about the histories of these two great East Asian countries and have come to a greater understanding on why they are what they are today. Factors that contributed to the shaping of these countries include government and society, western influence, and conflicts and struggles.

The government and society of a country are essential to its survival and are the heart of a country. Both China and Japan started under a monarchy with an emperor, or leading ruler, and both had a golden age of prosperity and a time of great corruption and struggle. China’s golden age was during the Qing Dynasty which lasted from 1644-1911, while Japan’s golden age was during the Tokugawa Period which lasted from 1600-1868. After the Qing Dynasty, China became the Republic of China, which later changed to the Communist, People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong. Japan evolved from the Tokugawa Period to the Meiji Period, Taisho Period, Showa Period, and finally became mostly democratic during the Heisei Period. The reason for such radical differences in government between China and Japan, despite them both starting at monarchies, is because of their differing societies. China has an extremely large population of working class people. Communism favors well with them. Japan, on the other hand, had a much smaller population with a higher density of educated people who favored a democracy. The Japanese way of thinking also greatly differs from the Chinese way of thinking. Japan’s people are really into honor and respect, even if sacrifices must be made, but it seems as if China did what it did just to get what it wanted and just enough to survive at the time. I chose government and society as a theme because it is very important to know about the different governments and leaders in China and Japan to understand why they are the governments they are today.

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