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Essays on the development of imperialism in japan
Japanese imperialism in the Pacific
Japanese imperialism in the Pacific
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Prior to and during World War II Pan-Asianist thought played a large role in Japanese imperialism in East Asia. Over time Pan-Asianism has been a flexible concept, however the main idea has always been the unification of Asian people against the West. (Aydin, 2008) In the early 20th century Pan-Asianism had huge cultural power and a powerful hold on elites around Asia. A few decades later these “spiritual” concepts were “distorted by Japanese militarist government into a brutal ideology of imperialism that seemed fixed on conquering, rather than liberating, Asia.” (Hotta, 2007, p.ix) In this essay I am going first going to discuss modernisation, then I am will discuss Sino-Japanese and Russo- Japanese Wars
Japan was open to the selective process of modernisation as it demonstrated that Japan was as civilised as the West. Many believed that for Asia to be successful it needed to modernise. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Japan began to adopt some Western customs such as dress and appearance. Japan also started to embrace modern communications infrastructure and developed bases for modern industry. Compulsory education and universal conscription was also initiated. Pan Asianism did not reject modernity as a way to recover Asian greatness. (Hotta, 2007) Some pan-Asian writers justified Japan’s leadership of Asia on the argument that Japan successfully modernised, in contrasted to the rest of Asia who failed at modernisation. ( Saaler & Szpilman, 2011)
Japan became an imperial power after defeating China in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Following this Pan-Asianism gained more supporters among members of the Japanese ruling elite and nationalists as they were encouraged by the success of the strong Japanese imperi...
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...ter East Asia implied that the sphere would also include Southeast Asia, Eastern Siberia, and probably the outside regions of India, Australia and the Pacific Islands. (Mimura, 2011) According to Mimura (2011, p.4) The Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere was the product of the “collaboration of the military, Pan-Asianists and ultranationalists” which “served as a complex ideological matrix that brought together various strands of Japanese technocratic and right-wing thinking” including “Japanese Pan-Asianist visions of an Asian liberation into a fascist vision of empire.” The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was basically a cover for Japans imperialistic actions at the time and a way of trying to justify Japanese control in occupied countries during WWII, when puppet governments manipulated the residents and economies to the advantage of imperial Japan.
European Imperialism of China and Japan Imperialism is the practice by which powerful nations or peoples seek to extend and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples. By the 1800’s, the Western powers had advantages in this process. They led the world in technological advances, giving them dominance when conquering other countries. The European Imperialists made attempts to conquer China and Japan.
“By 1870, 90% of Japan’s international trade was controlled by Westerners living in Japan.” (Woods, SW. (2004). Japan an Illustrated History (1st Edition). Hippocrene books pg. 111).
Townsend, Susan. "Japan's Quest for Empire 1931-1945." BBC News. BBC, 30 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
In the middle of the 19th century, despite a few similarities between the initial responses of China and Japan to the West, they later diverged; which ultimately affected and influenced the modernizing development of both countries. At first, both of the Asian nations rejected the ideas which the West had brought upon them, and therefore went through a time period of self-imposed isolation. However, the demands that were soon set by Western imperialism forced them, though in different ways, to reconsider. And, by the end of the 19th century both China and Japan had introduced ‘westernizing’ reforms. China’s aim was to use modern means to retain and preserve their traditional Confucian culture. Whereas Japan, on the other hand, began to successfully mimic Western technology as it pursued modernization, and thus underwent an astounding social upheaval. Hence, by the year 1920, Japan was recognized as one of the world’s superpowers, whereas China was on the edge of anarchy.
The Discourse acts as a forum for the exploration of the political pathways that Japan could follow following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. At a time when Japan had just begun to consolidate herself, Chomin’s Discourse was aimed at discussing Japan’s long-term trajectory through three imaginary mouthpieces, ‘The Gentleman of Western Learning’, his opposition ‘The Champion of the East’, whose debate is being observed and arbitrated by a ‘Master Nankai’.
The East Asians, mostly China and Japan, both were trying to become or stay a great power, and did it different ways. Japan tried to isolate themselves by only allowing limited contact and no spreading of Christianity, as was talked about in document sixteen. China tried to keep up with them by using a strong legal system as was mentioned in document six, and government set up like the monarchs of Europe, in that the power is passed from father to son, as seen in document five.
The Age of Western Imperialism. Modern East Asia From 1600. Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009. 295-367.
Stewart Gordon is an expert historian who specializes in Asian history. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Michigan and has authored three different books on Asia. Gordon’s When Asia Was The World uses the narratives of several different men to explore The Golden Age of medieval Asia. The fact that this book is based on the travels and experiences of the everyday lives of real people gives the reader a feeling of actually experiencing the history. Gordon’s work reveals to the reader that while the Europeans were trapped in the dark ages, Asia was prosperous, bursting with culture, and widely connected by trade. This book serves to teach readers about the varieties of cultures, social practices, and religions that sprang from and spread out from ancient Asia itself and shows just how far Asia was ahead of the rest of the world
Then in the 1800's , Europe thrust its way into the heart of the Middle
Name: Nguyen Minh Nga Student number: 518404 Date: 02.10.2017 Email: mnnguy@utu.fi Course title: MPAS2001 Instructor: Professor Lauri Paltemaa Grade: TITLE OF THE SUMMARY ARTICLE: Sven Saaler: "Pan-Asianism in modern Japanese history: Overcoming the nation, creating a region, forging an empire", in Pan-Asianism in modern Japanese history: Colonialism, Regionalism, and Borders, edited by Seven Saaler and J. Victor Koschmann, London and New York: Routledge, 2007, 1-18 INTRODUCTION: The author of the article is Sven Saaler who is an associate professor of Modern Japanese History at Sophia University in Tokyo.
Imperialism has not only influenced colonial territories to better themselves or to further the mother country’s realm of power, it also had a significant impact on the people’s culture, education, environment, and political systems. Japan and Britain were two imperial systems that countered each other in many facets but also had strikingly similar qualities that had helped them become strong imperial powers that needed one another to continue their position amongst others. The Japanese empire was an inspirational country to other Asians that spearheaded the fight against the European imperialism. After the Meiji restoration, the emperors decided that the modernization of Japan was going to begin and in order for it to be a success, the government had to change along with their culture, “.restored authority faced new dangers in a new age.
Throughout its history, Japan has striven to define its national identity not by its own means, but by those predefined by foreign, and most recently, Western powers. Despite legends of the island archipelago being created by the sun goddess Amaterasu, Japan seems to have consistently maintained a indecisive self-image with respect to its neighbors. In the past, China had represented the pinnacle of culture and technology and had tremendously influenced other surrounding countries in Asia and in the world. Indeed, Japan owes its written language to imported and adapted Chinese characters. Without question, China remained for a long time the most influential force upon Japan. However, island nation maintained a rather precarious self-identity: How could a country like Japan, which was supposedly created by the gods and therefore a divine nation, consider itself the apex of the world, given China’s tremendous influence and power? Could Japan truly consider itself the greatest land in the world if China, or Chugoku in Japanese, literally meant “the central country?” For this reason, Japan never truly accepted a position of “belonging” to Asia. That is, despite a considerable amount of imported culture, Japan was still somehow inherently different from other Asian countries.
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...