Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan,[c] also referred to as the Japanese Empire, Imperial Japan, or simply Japan, was a Japanese nation-state[d] and empire that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the reformed Constitution of Japan in 1947.[8] From 29 August 1910 to 2 September 1945, the Empire of Japan included present-day Japan, South Sakhalin, Korea, Taiwan, and Kuril. The empire also used to rule colonies such as South Seas as well as Kwantung, Kiautschou Bay, Mantetsu, and other concessions; they were not its parts legally. During its existence, the empire established puppet countries and occupied territories; however, they were not its parts or colonies. In the closing stages of World War II, with Japan defeated alongside the rest of the Axis, on 2 September 1945 the formalized Japanese Instrument of Surrender was issued in compliance with the Potsdam Declaration of the victorious Allies; and Japanese territory was immediately much reduced when lost Taiwan, Korea, South Sakhlin, and Karafuto as it is today.
"The Japanese Empire" redirects here. For the book by Sarah C. Paine, see The Japanese Empire (book).
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
Sovereign 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
27 September 1940
2 September 1945
3 May 1947[8]
1,984,000 km2 (766,000 sq mi)
7,400,000 km2 (2,900,000 sq mi)
77,700,000[12]a
105,200,000[12]b
Under the slogans of fukoku kyōhei[e] and shokusan kōgyō,[f] 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 their victories in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I. The fact that the Japanese Racial Equality Proposal was rejected by the winners of World War I plus economic, diplomatic, and political turmoil in the 1920s and 1930s, including the Great Depression, led to the rise of fascism here and this ideological shift eventually culminated in Japan joining the fascist Axis alliance with two other main powers such as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in 1940. This led to the Japanese army invading China and conquering a large part of the Asia-Pacific as Japan wanted to found a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere dominated by Tokyo in Asia-Pacific.[15] During this period, the Japanese army committed many atrocities, including the Nanjing Massacre. However, there has been a debate over defining the political system of Japan as a dictatorship.[16]
The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces initially achieved large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. However, after decisive Allied advance at the Guadalcanal campaign on 9 February 1943, Japan was forced to adopt a defensive stance against the Allies. 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. Meanwhile, a large part of the Japanese army was bogged down in China and some of their occupied areas in Southeast Asia were recaptured by the Allies. By August 1945, plans had been made for an Allied invasion of mainland Japan, but were shelved after Japan unofficially surrendered to the Allies on 15 August 1945 when they had to fight on both fronts against the Soviet Union and the Western Allies while the diplomatic option through Moscow collapsed, with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria beginning on 9 August 1945. 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, and 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),[17] 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). The name "Empire of Japan" appeared for the first time in the 1854 Convention of Kanagawa between the United States and Japan.
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."
Japanese Empire
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
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
