Japan

Japan
Empire of Japan
日本
Location of Japan
Government Type	Federal constitutional monarchy
Languages	Japanese (official)

Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nippon or Nihon) is an island country located in Northeast Asia. The Japanese islands extend from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Tokara Strait, and are bordered by the Eastern Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Japan shares a border with the Ainu National Republic on the island of Ezo and is a stone's throw away from the Amami Islands of Tauland.

History

Early history

Main article: History of Japan

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 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).

Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1754)

Japan's isolation

In the aftermath of the Warring States era, the Tokugawa family unified the islands of Japan. The Shogun's government deemed this necessary to prevent Western influence which might undermine the authority of the shogunate and disrupt Japan's social order. This paranoia, along with the Spanish conquest of the Philippines and Dutch entry into East Asia, led to the formal institution of the Sakoku doctrine [鎖国, lit. locked nation].

Rangaku (蘭学, lit. Dutch studies)

In 1641, the Dutch took over the former Portuguese trading post at Nagasaki. They created 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.

Ōmura Rebellion (1656-1660)

The rebellion began during the Meiriki era, approximately spanning from 1656 to 1660.

Encroachment of the Dutch and Russians

Taking cues from the Dutch's establishment of a base in the Corean city of Poesjan in 1710, Russian traders started to take a keen interest in commerce with the Japanese. After a relatively successful meeting with the Shogun in 1739, a consortium of Russian traders were given limited access to trade at Maizuru port, though heavily regulated. A Japanese official at the time noted the relative success of the Dutch trading base in Corea as a motivating factor for the approval of this plan.

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 Matsumae clan. Wary of Russian competition, the Dutch moved to expand their influence among the lords of Kyushu, using their bases at Dejima and Poesjan to manipulate maritime trade and fishing zones.

1754 succession crisis and consequences

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 group of pro-Russian clans in the Ezo and Tohoku regions, most notably the Matsumae and Date clans, mobilized in favour of the Russians. In response, the Dutch put their support behind the Tokugawa government.

Over the next 60 years, the Tokugawa government's influence was gradually eroded. Japan became a battleground between pro-Russian lords, pro-Dutch lords, and pro-independence lords. In 1784, the Dutch established a protectorate of the Rjoekjoe kingdom, reducing the influence of Satsuma lordship. The Russians annexed the ports of Maizuru & Idzu by 1815.

During the reign of Emperor Kokaku, Japan experienced immense social and economic change. Japanese mercenaries and laborers ventured outside of Japan with the guidance of European merchants, taking up residence in colonies like Tauland and the Philippines. The modern Japanese economy formed, though with unwelcome intervention from the Russians and the Dutch.

Sakai shogunate (1809-1896)

Reunification of Japan

Sakai shogunate
1809 - 1895
Capital	Edo
Largest City	Edo
Government Type	Dynastic military dictatorship
Languages	Japanese (official), Russian, others
Currency	Yen (円)

In 1795, France invaded the Republic of the Netherlands and installed a puppet government. Consequentially, the pro-Dutch lords of southern Japan lost their main benefactor and began to waver. The Sakai clan of northern Japan's influence was expanded dramatically after successfully crushing much of the anti-Western forces north of the Watarase River.

In 1807, the alliance between the southern lordships collapsed. By 1808, the Sakai coalition had established their influence over most of Japan - though not in Ezo or Kyushu. In 1809 the Sakai negotiated with the collection of Catholic Daimyos & the archdioceses of Kyushu to accept Sakai rule in exchange for policy of religious toleration of Christians by the Sakai government. By 1815, the Sakai government had achieved recognition from several European powers and had successfully limited Dutch influence in Japan by placing restrictions on Dejima. Despite this, the Sakai clan was not recognized as the rightful government of Japan by Corea, Tauland, or the Qing dynasty until decades later.

Rise of the Ainu

Main article: Ainu Mosir § History

Tokugawa loyalists, controlling the island of Ezo, repelled Russo-Sakai invasions in 1810, 1812 and 1816. Throughout the 1810s and 1820s, the Sakai eventually gave up on trying to actively conquer the island and instead attempted to starve the Tokugawa of political capital by issuing an ultimatum to all its trading partners - do not interact with the Tokugawa or they would cut off trading relations. However, this was an unsuccessful strategy, and the idea of conquering Ezo faded from the list of priorities.

The Russian Empire resented Tokugawa control of Ezo as it limited their expansion in Japan and the northern Pacific. In the 1820s, Russia staked claim on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands which had extensive Tokugawa influence. In 1837, the Ainu revolted against the Tokugawa after decades of cultural assimilation policies. The Russians supported the Ainu insurgency, leading to the establishment of a provisional multiethnic Ezo state to challenge the Tokugawa's rule.

After the formation of the Ezo state, the Ainu experienced a cultural renaissance under the protection of the Russians. A modified Cyrillic alphabet was created in 1840 for the Ainu language. Many Ainu converted to Christianity during this period as well. In 1868, after the Russian Succession Crisis, the new Czar seeked to focus on expansion in the Pacific. A political dispute between Ainu clans was used as an oppurtunity by the Russian Imperial Navy to annex Ainu lands.

Late 19th century Japan

Japan began to industrialize during the late 19th century. However, social unrest, economic strife resulting from intervention from the Russians and the Dutch, and political instability led to the formation of the Federalist political faction.

The Sakura Revolution and the Era of Reform

In March of 1896, the last Sakai shogun died without a heir apparent. This naturally led to the nonviolent Sakura Revolution not long after and the abolishment of the shogunate. The Federalist Party gained control of the nation, establishing the Empire of Japan. The traditional samurai class lost their remaining influence to the rising Japanese merchant class.

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.

List of leaders

Main article: List of rulers of Japan