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1889 – Japan’s First Constitution

This text explores the significant events and changes in Japan from the Meiji Constitution to Taishō Democracy, covering topics such as the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, patriotism, urbanization, depression, militarism, and the Pacific War.

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1889 – Japan’s First Constitution

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  1. 1889 – Japan’s First Constitution • The Meiji Constitution has Three Tiers: • The Emperor on top, the symbol of the state • The Privy Council, behind the scenes • The Diet, popularly elected • It has the power to set budget and levy taxes • Oligarchsat the controls, but • Power curbed by Diet budgetary powers • Political parties appear rapidly • Constitution moves Japan closer to acceptance by the world community

  2. Turn-of-the-century Wars Two small but important wars: • Sino-Japanese war of 1894-5 • Russo-Japanese war of 1904-5 Consequences: • Japan finally freed from unequal treaties • Japan becomes a colonial power (Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria) • Patriotism inflamed • the whole country supports Japan’s “sphere of influence” • nation connected by telephone, telegraph

  3. Wars and patriotism The magazineYouth of the World reflects Japan’s growing confidence after the Sino-Japanese war (1894-5).

  4. Patriotism at School A page from a first grade reader, 1918, which reads: "Kiguchi Kohei was struck by an enemy bullet, but even in death, his bugle never fell from his mouth." First soldiers enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine after the Russo-Japanese War

  5. Patriotism in the Media Hideyoshi congratulates Itō Hirobumi

  6. The Wars and Patriotism • A cover of Tokyo Puck Magazine General Terauchi bathed in the light of Amaterasu as he oversees the Korean peninsula

  7. Turn-of-the-century Economics • Silk and cotton spinning • Women workers • More urbanization • Developments in • Mining • heavy industry • However…

  8. Hard times in the countryside • Farmers exploited, restive • Tenancy still high • Laborers widely exploited • The “dual economy”

  9. The 1920s –Taishō Democracy • The era of “party politics” • The Privy council can no longer hold off the Diet • Compromise is struck with a series of “Party Prime Ministers” such as Hara Kei • Assassinations continue • As the Meiji constitutional system collapses the military steps in

  10. The 1920s –Taishō Democracy Other Aspects: • Universal male suffrage • The “Peace Preservation” laws • Socialism crushed • Population growth:55 million in 1920 • Persistent divide between rich and poor • Continuing urbanization and industrialization

  11. Urban Fashion – 1920s • Urban Japanese followed international fashion trends • “modern girl” or moga • “modern boy” or mobo

  12. Depression and Militarism – the 1930s • The Meiji constitutional system collapses • The global depression hits Japan hard • The military steps into the vacuum • The Manchurian, or Mukden, incident • the Manchukuo puppet regime • Attempted military coup, 2/26/1936 • Marco Polo Bridge incident, 1937 • Japan’s incursion into China begins

  13. The Pacific War

  14. The US response • The US and other Western Nations embargo Japan in response • But this only serves to justify further Japanese advances in Southeast Asia.

  15. Japan as protector of Asia The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

  16. The expulsion of the West The “A B C D” powers

  17. Pacific War statistics • Chinese civilians killed at Nanjing: • ~80,000-100,000 • Japanese civilians killed in the firebombing of Tokyo: • ~80,000-100,000 • Deaths in Okinawa: • 62,500 • A-bomb deaths • ~180,000

  18. Homefront war production Mitsubishi aircraft plant

  19. Homefront production Exhortation to increase production of staple foods in support of the war effort

  20. WWII – Japan’s Homefront • Women exhorted to support the war effort • Woman as compassionate Kannon

  21. Homefront war support The various measures taken to aid the war effort

  22. Education and Propaganda • Children at Naka-Meguro school, Tokyo • Pledging allegiance to the Imperial Rescript on Educationand imperial regalia

  23. Wartime “fashion” Women in mompe during wartime

  24. Wartime political commentary “sweep away ‘Westernisms’ like dandruff out of hair”

  25. WWII – Japan’s Homefront Posters from the“Spiritual Mobilization” Committee

  26. WWII – the US and Japan Negative portrayals of Japanese

  27. Conclusions • Japan fell into war as a result of: • Social, political, and economic turmoil in the first half of the 20th century • Unwise foreign adventurism – following the Western colonial model • An inability to keep its military in check • Even today, Japan has not officially fully confronted its wartime past.

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