Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan,[i] also referred to as the Japanese Empire, Imperial Japan, or simply Japan, was the Japanese nation-state[j] that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the reformed Constitution of Japan in 1947.[8] From 29 August 1910 until 2 September 1945, it administered the naichi (the Japanese archipelago and post-1943 Karafuto) and the gaichi (Korea, Taiwan, Kwantung Leased Territory, and pre-1943 Karafuto). The South Seas Mandate was a single Japanese dependent territory in the name of the League of Nations under Japanese administration. In the closing stages of World War II, with Japan defeated alongside the rest of the Axis, the formalized Japanese Instrument of Surrender was issued in compliance with the Potsdam Declaration of the victorious Allies, and Japanese de facto territory subsequently shrunk to cover only the Japanese archipelago as it is today.
Not to be confused with Japanese colonial empire.
Empire of Japan- 大日本帝國
- Dai Nippon Teikoku or
Dai Nihon Teikoku
- 大日本帝國
- Dai Nippon Teikoku or
Dai Nihon Teikoku
Independent state (1868−1945)
Military occupation (1945–1947)
- Kyoto (1868–1869)[3]
- Tokyo City (1869–1943)
- Tokyo (1943–1947)
- Tokyo City (1868–1943)
- Tokyo (1943–1947)
Unitary absolute monarchy
(1868–1889)[7]
Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
(1889–1947)[8]
(1945–1947)
None (rule by decree) (1868–1871)
House of Peers (1871–1889)
Imperial Diet (since 1889)
House of Peers (1889–1947)
House of Representatives (from 1890)
3 January 1868[9]
11 February 1889
25 July 1894
8 February 1904
23 August 1914
18 September 1931
7 July 1937
12 October 1940
7 December 1941
2 September 1945
3 May 1947[8]
1,984,000[f] km2 (766,000 sq mi)
7,400,000[g] km2 (2,900,000 sq mi)
77,700,000a
105,200,000[h]b
だいにっぽんていこく
だいにほんていこく
ダイニッポンテイコク
ダイニホンテイコク
大日本帝國
大日本帝国
Dai Nippon Teikoku
Dai Nihon Teikoku
Dai Nippon Teikoku
Dai Nihon Teikoku
Japanese Empire
Imperial State of Greater Japan or the Great Japanese Empire
Under the slogans of fukoku kyōhei[k] and shokusan kōgyō,[l] which followed the Boshin War and the restoration of power to the Emperor from the Shogun, Japan underwent a period of large-scale industrialization and militarization, often regarded as the fastest modernization of any country to date. All of these aspects contributed to Japan's emergence as a great power following the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. Economic and political turmoil in the 1920s, including the Great Depression, led to the rise of militarism, nationalism, statism and totalitarianism. This ideological shift eventually culminated in Japan joining the Axis alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and also conquering a large part of the Asia-Pacific.[15] During this period, the Japanese army committed many atrocities, including the Nanjing Massacre.
The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces initially achieved large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. However, from 1942 onwards, and particularly after decisive Allied advances at Midway Atoll and Guadalcanal, Japan was forced to adopt a defensive stance against the United States. The American-led island-hopping campaign led to the eventual loss of many of Japan's Oceanian island possessions in the following three years. Eventually, the American military captured Iwo Jima and Okinawa Island, leaving the Japanese mainland unprotected and without a significant naval defense force. By August 1945, plans had been made for an Allied invasion of mainland Japan, but were shelved after Japan surrendered in the face of a major breakthrough by the United States and the Soviet Union, with the former detonating two atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the latter invading Japan's northern territories. The Pacific War officially came to an end on 2 September 1945, leading to the beginning of the Allied occupation of Japan, during which American military leader Douglas MacArthur administered the country. In 1947, through Allied efforts, a new Japanese constitution was enacted, officially ending the Japanese Empire and forming present-day Japan. During this time, the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces were dissolved and replaced by the current Japan Self-Defense Forces. Reconstruction under the Allied occupation continued until 1952, consolidating the modern Japanese constitutional monarchy.
In total, the Empire of Japan had three emperors: Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa. The Imperial era came to an end partway through Shōwa's reign, though he remained emperor until 1989.
Terminology
The historical state is frequently referred to as the "Empire of Japan", the "Japanese Empire", or "Imperial Japan" in English. In Japanese it is referred to as Dai Nippon Teikoku (大日本帝國),[16] which translates to "Empire of Great Japan" (Dai "Great", Nippon "Japanese", Teikoku "Empire"). Teikoku is itself composed of the nouns Tei "referring to an emperor" and -koku "nation, state", literally "Imperial State" or "Imperial Realm" (compare the German Kaiserreich).
This meaning is significant in terms of geography, encompassing Japan, and its surrounding areas. The nomenclature Empire of Japan had existed since the anti-Tokugawa domains, Satsuma and Chōshū, which founded their new government during the Meiji Restoration, with the intention of forming a modern state to resist Western domination. Later the Empire emerged as a great power in the world.
Due to its name in kanji characters and its flag, it was also given the exonyms "Empire of the Sun" and "Empire of the Rising Sun."
Flag of the Empire of Japan from 1870 to 1999
War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army
Naval ensign of the Empire of Japan
Flag of the Japanese Emperor
