Chapter 7 Japan, Industrial Giant of Asia

Geography. The Japanese call their nation Nippon, which means Land of the Rising Sun. Japan is an archipelago of 4,233 islands at East Asia. The four main islands are Honshu (the largest), Hokkaido, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The Ryukyu chain in the southwest are U.S. occupied, and the Kuriles in the northeast are occupied by the USSR. With an area of 373,3l3 sq. km., it is larger than Britain.

The climate is temperate. The main islands consist mostly of mountains separated by narrow valleys, and only 17% of the lands is arable. There are about 60 active volcanoes. Japan lies within the seismic belt of the Pacific. About 2,000 earthquakes (normally mild) shake the country each year. The most devastating earthquake occurred on September 1, 1923, destroying 375,000 homes and building killing 143,000 people in Tokyo.

Tokyo, the capital, has a population of 26.9 million and is the largest city in the world. Kyoto, the old capital, is the center of classic Japanese culture. The chief ports are Osaka, Yokohama and Kobe. The Japanese. The Japanese aborigines, called Ainus, originally inhabited Japan. Later; the Mongolians from the north and the Malays from the south gradually pushed the Ainus to Hokkaido and occupied the islands. Out of this blending of the Ainus, Mongolians and Malays came the Japanese race. Japan has a population of 127 million. They are polite, dignified, clean, industrious, disciplined, and highly nationalistic. Nippongo is the national language. Nearly all Japanese are Shintoists or Buddhists. Less than 1% are Christians. Creation Myth. Legends in two ancient books (the Kojiki and Nihongi) say that Japan was created by the gods. One of their children, the sun goddess Amaterasu, sent her grandson, Prince Ninighi, to rule the country. His great-grandson Jimmu Tenno became the first of the demi-god emperors of Yamato (Japan) in 660 BC. The symbols of imperial authority were the mirror, the sword, and the jewel all said to be gifts of the gods. This myth of national origin was taught in all Japanese schools as factual history until 1945. It contributed to the prewar Japanese idea of their divine destiny and superiority. Chinese Influence. Chinese influence entered Japan through Korea. In 405 AD, a Korean

scholar introduced Chinese writing. Buddhism reached Japan in 552 AD. In 656- 650 Prince Shotoku, the Father of Japanese civilization, laid the foundations of political and social life. He wrote the first laws based on Confucian and Buddhist teachings. However, there were important differences in the Japanese adaptation of Chinese culture. Firstly, the Confucian idea of the emperor being replaceable was not adopted by the Japanese; to them the emperor was a living god and hence irreplaceable (until 1945). Secondly, Buddhism did not replace Shinto as the national religion. Finally, Japanese ideograms have a different structure and style from Chinese writing.

Early History. Very few Japanese emperors really exercIsed total power. Japan was nearly always dominated by the warrior class the samurai, shogun, and military cliques. In the 8th-l2th centuries, the Fujiwara family dominated the emperors. Nara was then the first capital, and the lifestyle followed Chinese culture. During the Heian era, which followed that of the Fujiwaras, Japans local civilization flourished. Lady Murasaki, the greatest Japanese woman novelist, wrote during this period. At this time, Japan was controlled by two military clans the Taira and the Minamoto. The capital was moved to Kyoto in 794. In 1192 a new warlord named Yorimoto dominated the emperor who gave him the title of Shogun (great general). Thus, from the 12th century to 1867 the shoguns controlled the imperial government. Yorimoto also established feudalism in Japan. He divided the country into districts and gave them to his retainers called daimyos (local lords). Each daimyo had a fighting force of warriors called samurais (knights). His duty was to fight and, if necessary, die for his lord. His code of ethics was the, Bushido (Way of the Warrior) which contained the rules of Japanese chivalry. To a samurai, death in the battlefield for his lord was glorious. If he failed in his duty to fight or disobeyed his daimyo, he could only redeem his honor by committing harakiri or seppuku (suicide). Like European lords, the daimyos often waged war against one another. They lived in fortified castles and ruled as petty dictators in their respective domains. In 1274 and 1281 two invasion attempts by the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan of China were thwarted by typhoons. - Thus, the Japanese attributed this salvation of Japan to the kamikaze (divine wind), a term which was later used for the suicidal pilots of Japanese planes during the end of World War II. The Ashikaga Shogunate (1338-1575) became a period of feudal wars. Bandits roamed the

countryside and social and economic life suffered. During this era, Christianity was introduced by St Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies, in 1549, and & the first Europeans the Portuguese introduced the first firearms in 1542. After this period, three great feudal warlords of Japan appeared Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Iyeyasu. They were all military geniuses. Nobunaga, son of a daimyo, overthrew the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1575. Hideyoshi, son of a poor peasant, unified Japan under his rule (1582-98). He tried to- invade the Philippines and Korea. When he died in 1598, his dream of empire died with him. Japanese historians hail him as a mighty hero, but Christian writers assailed him, as the first Japanese ruler, to persecute Christians in Japan. Tokugawa Iyeyasu succeeded Hideyoshi. In 1603 lie founded the Tokugawa Shogunate, which ruled Japan until 1867, and moved the capital to Edo (Tokyo). Iyeyasu banned Christianity and persecuted Spanish missionaries coming from Manila. His, grandson, Shogun Iyemitsu, issued the famous Seclusion Decree of 1639 closing Japan to the world. The closure of Japan to the world was a blessing to the Japanese. During the long seclusion (1639-1853). Japan developed its own economy, religion, literature, music and arts. Japans Contributions to Civilization. Japan, the cultural daughter of China evolved its own distinct civilization, Its contributions to civilization included (1) the Bushido, or code of chivalry; (2) Shinto religion, (3) kana alphabet written in two styles hiragana (cursive) and katakana (angular); (4) literary forms such as kabuki (classical play). Noh (lyrical play), tanka (31-syllable poem); (5) dignified social customs, such as cha-no-yu (tea drinking ceremony) and ikebana (flower arrangement); (5) landscape gardening; and (7) manly sports such as judo (art of selfdefense), kendo (fencing), and sumo (wrestling).

Opening of Japan (1853). On July 8, 1853 an American squadron under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry entered Tokyo Bay and compelled the Tokugawa shogun to open Japan to world trade. Within two years, the shogun signed similar treaties with Britain, Russia, and Holland. Japanese feudal daimyos from southwest Japan, the founding fathers of modem Japan, forced the last shogun to resign in 1867.

Meiji Restoration. Under the direction of the southwest lords, the emperor was restored to power and the capital moved from Kyoto to Edo again. On January 1, 1868 Emperor Mutsuhitoproclaimed the restoration of imperial rule and the end of the shogunate era. He chose the name Meiji (Enlightened) as his imperial name. (Japanese princes assume another name when they become emperor).The former castle of the Tokugawa shoguns in Tokyo became the Imperial Palace, residence of the royal family. One of the outstanding achievements of the Meiji era was the reorganization of the government based on the 1889 Constitution which was written by Hirobumi Ito. Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji) and his advisers set aside their foreign bias and welcomed Western learning and technology. The army and navy were modernized along European lines. Compulsory military training was introduced. The Gregorian calendar and decimal system were adopted. Christianity and other religions were tolerated. The Western System of education was introduced. Foreign teachers and professors were imported to teach Western science and foreign languages to the Japanese. Bright young Japanese were sent abroad to study Western arts and sciences. Japan began a program of rapid industrialization and modernization. Railways, steamships, harbors, banks, and printing presses were started. Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). The first war that Japan fought as a test of her newly acquired knowledge of Western warfare and technology was with China. It started on July 25, 1894 when Japanese warships sank a vessel carrying 1,200 Chinese soldiers near Korea. Using modern weapons and Western military tactics, the Japanese easily destroyed the Chinese land and sea forces and astounded the world with their victories. As a result of this war Japan obtained Formosa and the Pescadores. The treaty of Shimonoseki (April17, 1895) which ended the war also gave Japan the Liaotung Peninsula but Russia, jealously forced her to return it to China. Anglo-Japanese Alliances. Japan had proven to the world that she was now a modem military power. Impressed with her achievements, Britain surrendered in 1894 her territorial rights in Japan. Other western powers followed the British example. By 1899 Japan became the first Asian country to be rid of foreign extra-territorial rights .In 1902 Britain signed the AngloJapanese Alliance, a military agreement.

Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). Japan prepared for her next war, this time with Russia whom she hated for entering into Manchuria and Korea. Again without a formal declaration of war, Japanese Admiral Togos fleet attacked the Russian navy at Port Arthur on the night of February 8, 1904.

After many other battles, the fleet of Admiral Togo (Father of -the Japanese Navy) destroyed the entire Russian fleet in the Battle of Japan Sea in May 1905.

With U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt - as mediator, the two countries agreed to end - their war. A treaty was signed on September 5, 1905 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Among other terms, this treaty acknowledged Japanese interests in Korea, and Russia gave to Japan the southern- half of Sakhalin Island and all her rights in the Liaotung Peninsula, including Port Arthur. Later in 1910, Japan annexed Korea. As a result of this war, Japan proved that Asians were not inferior to Westerners in warfare. Also, other Asian nations like the Philippines, India, Indonesia- and Vietnam looked to Japan as the new champion of Asian nationalism. Japan as a Great Power. Japan had become a great power. This status was confirmed by World War I, after which she gained more territory previously belonging to, Germany (the Carolines, Marshalls, and Palau Islands in the Pacific). The Japanese empire now included the Kuriles, Sakhalin Korea, Formosa, South Manchuria, and the German islands in the Pacific. Such a rapid rise to world power in a period of only 50 years was unprecedented in modern history. Japans big power status was also confirmed when she was given a seat in the League of Nations Council. Fascist Japan. In the 1930s ultra-nationalists and military cliques made trouble for Japan. It was also an unstable economic era. Japan was badly affected by the Great Depression in the world. The silk trade collapse hurt farming communities and households where the processing of the silk cocoons was a cottage industry. Thousands of Japanese immigrated to other countries in search of a better life. A weak parliamentary system, corruption and scandals in the government worsened the situation. Communism (which had spread to China) was only prevented from taking root in Japan by strong family traditions, nationalism, and the secret police.

From 1932-36 ultranationalists and military cliques assassinated three premiers and former premiers and other public figures. In February 1936, an attempted coup by younger officers was peacefully settled. Many of these younger military officers came from the farming districts and they hated the zaibatsu (financial cliques) which dominated the Japanese economy.3 These unrests enabled the military to blackmail the government. The cabinet had little control over the army and navy general staffs and the military cliques which waged aggression in Asia.

Manchurian Incident (1931-33). To secure new, markets for Japanese products and more lands for its population, Japanese militarists (with the financial backing of the zaibatsu) coveted China. On September 18, 1931, Japanese army officers provoked an incident near Mukden. On the excuse that the Chinese had blown up a section of the Japanese-owned South Manchurian Railway, Japanese troops seized the city of Mukden.

China appealed to the League of Nations which appointed the Lytton Commission to investigate the incident. As a result of its report, the League advised Japan to stop the aggression. But Japan left the League and continued to overrun Manchuria. Japan created a puppet state in Manchuria called Manchukuo and made Henry Pu-yi, Chinas last Manchu emperor, as its ruler. On May 31, 1933 the Sino-Japanese hostilities ceased with the signing of the Truce of Tangku. China Incident (1937-41). On July 7, 1937 Japan provoked another incident near the Marco Polo Bridge in Peking. Japanese troops precipitated the undeclared war with China. They easily captured Peking and Tientsin in north China but met with stiffer resistance in other cities. On December 1937 Nanking (capital of Chinas Nationalist government) fell, and General Chiang Kai-shek moved his capital to Chungking. During these battles, Japanese troops committed some of the worst atrocities in history.4 Even Western interest in China were destroyed, confiscated or disrupted by the Japanese military advance. Japan and World War II. On September 1, 1939, while Japanese armies were overrunning China. World War II broke out in Europe. The victories of Nazi Germany impressed the Japanese militarists who believed that the democracies had no chance against Hitler. On September 20, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus creating the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis. Meanwhile American-Japanese relations worsened. The U.S. did not approve of Japans seizing Hainan and the Spratly Islands and the landing of Japanese troops in French Indochina. To counteract Japanese military aggression, President Roosevelt ordered the freezing of all Japanese assets in the United States and the boycott of trade with Japan. On December 8, 1941 (Asian time) Japanese planes made a sneak attack on the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) and destroyed much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The - following day, the Allied Powers declared war on Japan.

With amazing speed, Japanese forces captured such vital outposts in Asia as Hong Kong Malaya, Singapore, Guam, Wake, and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). It was only - the Philippines which gallantly resisted the Japanese invaders, thereby upsetting the Japanese timetable and giving Australia ample time to complete her war preparations. By the end of 1942, Japan was in control of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. However, - General Douglas MacArthur, who had escaped from the Philippines to Australia, was already beginning the Allied offensive in the - Pacific. Japans Defeat and Surrender. By the middle of 1945 Japan was gradually leveled by massive U.S. air attacks and naval bombardments. Thousands of Japanese were killed or wounded in these attacks. On July 26, 1945, the Allied Potsdam Declaration called on Japan to surrender unconditionally. The destruction of Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945) by atomic bombs brought Japan to its knees and made it sue for peace. On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered unconditionally. All hostilities ended. On September 2, Japan signed the documents amid solemn ceremonies aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. General Douglas MacArthur, who was - named Supreme Commander of Allied Powers in Japan (SCAP), presided over the historic ceremonies. For the first time in history, Japan tasted the bitterness of defeat in war.

Allied Occupation of Japan. As the loser in the war, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers with General MacArthur as military ruler (SCAP). The Allied occupation lasted from September 2, 1945 to April 28, 1952 and became one of the modern worlds most successful foreign occupation stories. The Japanese cooperated with the SCAP and Allied Powers at the behest of Emperor Hirohito and national leaders to be good losers. Remarkably harmonious relations existed between the Japanese people and the foreign occupiers of Japan. Japan was completely revolutionized in a short period by the Allied occupation, with the following achievements: 1. Democratization. Democracy became a magic word in Japan. A new democratic constitution was written in 1947 by the occupation authorities. It provided for an elected parliament (Diet). Women were given equal rights as men. The Emperor was no longer a god but merely a symbol of state. 2. Demilitarization. All weapons were confiscated and military bases taken over by the Allied

forces. The new Japanese constitution contained a unique provision (Article 9) which pledge the Japanese people to forever renounce war. 3. Reorientation of values. The intellectual and social values of the people were changed. The educational system was revamped. Textbooks on Japanese history were rewritten to eliminate racial bias and militarism and to promote democracy. Shinto was abolished as a state religion. Hard work, freedom and the pursuit of individual happiness replaced the traditionally rigid society. Capitalism and the profit motive were encouraged. 4. Improvement of the economy. The zaibatsu which had monopolized the wealth and economy were dissolved. Land reform was instituted, and peasants now owned their own land. Thus between 1945-53 agricultural output rose by 66%. Labor unions were established and workers rights protected. These changes became a major factor in Japans miraculous economic recovery and rise to superpower status by the late 1960s.

5. Punishment of war criminals. Japanese officials and military officers who were responsible for Japans aggressive policy in the 1930s and 1940s were tried by war crimes tribunals. The Tokyo Trial by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) convicted Premier Hideki Tojo and other important national figures. Tojo and six others were executed. Others were sent to prison. To help the Japanese recover, the Americans gave generous aid to Japan. No crippling reparations for war damage were imposed on Japan at this time.

The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 emphasized the need to end the Allied occupation of Japan.By means of the San Francisco treaty on September 8, 1951, SCAP was abolished and Japan became a free nation again. The treaty became effective on April 28, 1952.

Japan as an Industrial Power. Like the fabled phoenix. Japan has emerged from the ashes of war to become the worlds second richest nation, after the United States. Its dramatic recovery in so short a time has been described as one of the greatest economic miracles in world history.

Japans miraculous rise from defeat in World War II is dramatically seen from these two aerial photos of Tokyo. Upper photo shows Tokyo at the end of the war, Lower photo shows the same area today.

Today, Japan has the worlds highest rate of economic growth. It has the second highest gross national product (national wealth). It ranks third in world total of exports and imports, but first in shipbuilding and in the export of electrical and other appliances (TV, radio cassettes, cameras, toys, watches etc.) and second in car exports. Its people enjoy the second highest income in Asia (next to the Kuwaitis) . Japans economic miracle has been attributed to the following factors: (1) the industriousness and discipline of the Japanese people; (2) the managerial skill of its industrialists and businessmen; (3) the technical skills of the people; (4) American technical and financial aid after the war; and (5) the savings and investment of the people which have been used for economic development rather than military spending, for unlike other big powers, Japan spends, very little for defense.

Japanese Politics. Japan has had twelve peaceful changes of government since 1945. It is Asias most stable democracy at present. Despite its being rocked from time to time by violent demonstrations and public scandals, no government has declared martial law or limited human rights in the postwar era. Two political parties have controlled the government in Japan the Liberal Democratic Party which is favored by the business and rural communities, and the Socialist Party which is allied with trade and labor unions. Other parties, including the Communist Party are allowed to exist freely. The longest serving Prime Minister of Japan was Eisaku Sato (1964-72), during whose administration Japan became the third industrial power and the first in Asia. Japanse politics has become so corrupt in the modem era that there have been several changes of government involving resignations of prime ministers and ministers involved in public scandals graft and corruption, etc. The nations worst political scandal since World War II w as the infamous Recruit scandal. It involved illegal political donations and stock trading which led to the resignation of Premier Noborn Takeshita in May 1989. A series of scandals also rocked Japans financial sector in 1991; one involved the largest bank and another the four largest securities firms.

Political Earthquake in Japan: Japanese politicians make a public apology for graft and corruption in office. Many prime minister fell

Japan in World Affairs. Although Japan does not have a permanent seat in the UN Security Council (unlike China), it is a world power because of its industrial and economic strength. Whatever Japan could not win by force of arms in wartime markets for its products, food for its people, and prestige for its country it got in the postwar world by the sheer drive and discipline, of its people and the force of the yen economy. In short, Japan lost the war but won the peace. Impressive gains in almost all fields of human endeavor have been made by the Japanese- in science and technology, art, literature, cinema, world exploration, and, sports. Japan hosted the first Olympiad in Asia (Tokyo 1964 and the winter games at Sapporo, 1972).,Japan has been launching space satellites since 1970 and nuclear ships since_1972 It consistently speaks out against the arms race and refuses to develop nuclear weapons because it is the only country which has suffered from atomic bombing.

On November 10, 1916 Emperor Hirohito celebrated the golden jubilee of his coronation, thus becoming the worlds longest reigning monarch. He and members of the royal family are popular: His eldest son, Crown Prince Akihito, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner. In foreign relations, Japan is closely allied with the United States. The U.S. is its best trading customer, and American forces are allowed to use military bases in Japan. Japan has made peace with China through the 1978 treaty between them. It has paid reparations amounting to $300 million to the Philippines, the most devastated country in Asia after World War II. And it gives generous assistance to developing countries through loans, aid and technical cooperation. Japan sent a large military contingent to keep the peace in Cambodia in 1993. The United Nations Transition Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was headed by a Japanese U.N. official, Akashi Yasushi. It was the first time that the Japanese sent military forces outside the country since World War II. The bill to approve the sending of troops abroad was passed by the Japanese Diet only after a debate on its legality. According to Article 9 of the postwar Japanese Constitution, it can no longer maintain a large army or enter a foreign war. But the success of the Japanese participation in the Cambodian peace-keeping force and the new world conditions are putting pressure on the Japanese government to reconsider the future military role of Japan. The popularity of Japan around the world, due to its economic miracle, even helped to elect a prime minister in Peru with Japanese ancestry Alberto Fujimori. His family had migrated to South America in the 1900s. Japanese economic power spread to the United States, Europe and other countries. Japanese cars, appliances, cameras, televisions and electronic goods flooded the market all over the world. Other countries put pressure on the Japanese to open their markets to foreign goods. The Japanese have enjoyed a trade surplus against other countries. The Other Side of Japan. Although the Japanese won the peace and inspired awe at their economic power, ugly memories caused by Japanese atrocities during World War II and the arrogant policies and behavior of many Japanese regularly surfaced to taint the image of the New Japan. In the 1980s, the Japanese ministry of education issued new textbooks for Japanese schools that

did not tell the truth about the aggression and atrocities of Japan during World War II. Many Asian countries, including the Philippines, protested at the censorship. In the 1990s, the stories of comfort women or Asian women forced into prostitution by Japanese soldiers during World War II came into the open. Hundreds of Asian women in Korea, the Philippines and other countries filed claims for compensation and apology by the Japanese government for the horrible experiences they suffered. Today in Japan, the new generation has suffered the effects of too much money. Most Japanese are workaholics and do not know how to relax. They work in the office until late hours and take pleasure in throwing themselves into their work. But they give little time for their families. The fast pace of modern Japanese life has ruined traditional values, the role of women in the family, and respect for old folks. Many Japanese have become Westernized and materialistic. An economic recession and a slowdown in the economy are putting severe pressure on the Japanese people. The new generation is not as disciplined as the previous ones.

JAPAN AND THE PHILIPPINES In colonial times, the Philippines was admired by Japan because we had the best schools, newspapers, banks, roads, hospitals and transport and communications systems. Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Hero, inspired the Japanese to aspire for their own freedom. The Philippine Revolution in 1896 was supported by the Japanese. Geisha girls from Japan worked as bar girls and prostitutes in the Philippines at the turn of the century. Until World War II, Filipinos had more money and hired Japanese as gardeners, farmers and duck raisers.

The Philippines was used as a mission base to spread Christianity to Japan. The first Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, a Chinese from Binondo, was martyred at Nagasaki during the 17th century.

A Japanese Christian soldier during World War II, Lt. Col. Nobuhiko Jimbo, saved the life of Manuel Roxas. Roxas went on to become the first president after independence in 1946.

A New Emperor of Japan. On January 7, 1989 the Emperor of Japan, Emperor Hirohito, died at age 87. He was the longest-serving emperor of Japan 62 years of reign in war and peace. His era was called the Showa (enlightened) era. During his reign, Emperor Hirohito saw Japans turn to military aggression, its humiliating defeat in World War II, and its miraculous rise as a world economic power and as the leading nation in Asia after the war. The late emperor was worshipped as a living god before World War II. But the post constitution of Japan made the emperor only a symbol of the Japanese people and their unity. Although some critics blame him as a war criminal who should have been tried and executed after the war, Hirohito was really a wise and popular emperor. It was he who decided that Japan should end the war and surrender after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. He was succeeded by his 35-year old eldest son, Akihito. Emperor Akihito, the new Japanese monarch, chose the name Heisei (emerging peace) for his era. He is expected to be more open and democratic than his late father. He is the first Japanese prince (now emperor) to be married to a commoner, Michiko Shoda, now Empress Michiko. Their eldest son, Crown Prince Hiro, who studied in Britain, will become the heir to the throne.

The fairy tale weddins of Prince Naruhito and commoner Masako Owada in Tokyo, June 9, 1993.