Japan: Difference between revisions

==History==

 

Japan has been inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of the archipelago appears in a Chinese chronicle finished in the 2nd century. Between the 4th and 9th centuries, the kingdoms and tribes of Japan became unified under the Yamato emperor, with the Court based in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian-ky%C5%8D Kyoto]. Beginning in the 12th century, political power was held by a series of military dictators (''shōgun'') and feudal lords (''daimyō''), and enforced by a class of warrior nobility (''samurai'').

 

==== Rangaku (蘭学, lit. ''Dutch studies'') ====

In 1641, the Dutch took over the former Portuguese trading post at Nagasaki. They created [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima Dejima] island in order to conduct trade with the Japanese. Overtime, the spread of Western knowledge triggered the formation of a Japanese middle class under local Japanese lords.

 

==== Encroachment of the Dutch and Russians ====

The prosperity of this small trade venture gained the attention of the Czar of Russia, who granted an exclusive imperial charter to expand Russian influence in Japan in 1740, forming the [[Russo-Japanese Trading Company]] [Русско-японская торговая компания, abbrv. ''RYT'']. Over the next decade, the RYT expanded its operations in Japan, putting pressure on the Shogun to loosen commercial restrictions and bribing regional Japanese lords in order to enter political and economic alliances with them. The Russians formed an especially strong bond with the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsumae_clan Matsumae clan]. Wary of Russian competition, the Dutch moved to expand their influence among the lords of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyushu Kyushu], using their bases at Dejima and Poesjan to manipulate maritime trade and fishing zones.

 

During the 1754 Tokugawa succession crisis [徳川継承の危機], the heir apparent of the Tokugawa government was found to be an illegitimate child. The RYT took this opportunity to put forth a pro-Russian candidate, which was rejected. When the anti-Western Tokugawa Naritami [徳川斉民] was selected as Shogun, the Russians hired a mercenary to assassinate him merely a fortnight later. This led to widespread rage in the Japanese government and the dramatic increase in anti-Russian sentiment.

 

 

A constitution was drawn up in 1899, placing the Emperor at the forefront of Japanese identity and nationhood. During the 1910s, the ruling Federalist Party enacted further reforms to improve the efficiency of the government and reform the military. However, many of these reforms failed due to the insubordination of local lordships and socioeconomic distress. {{Nations of the World}}