Empire of Japan
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 Imperial Japan after its territorial acquisitions during World War II. | |||
| Official language | Japanese | ||
| Capital | Tokyo | ||
| Area | 7.4 million square km (at its peak) | ||
| Population | (add) | ||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy before 1889, constitutional monarchy after 1889 tending towards military dictatorship after c. 1930. | ||
| Emperor (Head of State) and Head of Government (A point of time: the Constitutional Collapse) |
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| Predecessor | Tokugawa shogunate | ||
| Creation |
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| Regime change |
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| Succeeding Regime | Japan (Regime under the Constitution of Japan) | ||
| Currency | Yen, Japanese military yen | ||
| National anthem | Kimi ga yo | ||
| National motto | National Wealth and Military Strength. (Fukoku Kyohei) | ||
The Empire of Japan, also known as Imperial Japan, Japanese Empire, or officially Empire of Great Japan (Kyūjitai: 大日本帝國; Shinjitai: 大日本帝国; pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku) refers to Japan from November 9, 1867 to September 2, 1945 during World War I and World War II with the Constitution of the Empire of Japan under Emperor Hirohito (posthumously Emperor Showa).
Politically, it covers the Return of power to the Empire (大政奉還; Tai-sei Hou-kan) on November 9, 1867, or the Abolition of the han system (廃藩置県; Hai-han Chi-ken) on July 14, 1871, through the expansion of Japan from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean during rapid industrialization and militarization of Japan, up until the formal surrender in September 2, 1945, when the Instrument of Surrender was signed immediately after atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States.
It was a signatory member of the Tripartite Pact between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as part of the Axis Powers of the Second World War that was fought against the Allies.
Background and terminology
Constitutionally, it refers to the period of November 29, 1890, to May 3, 1947 under the 1889 Constitution of the Empire of Japan that was promulgated as part of massive political reforms after the Meiji Restoration with restoration of power to the Emperor as head of state and head of government from Tokugawa shogunate. In terms of realpolitik, however, the empire is best understood as existing from 1871 when the Meiji government first turned its attention to Japan's borders until the promulgation of the American authored post-war constitution in May, 1947. It covers the eras that are known as the Meiji period (1867-1912), the Taisho period (1912-1926), and the first 21 years of the Showa period (1926-1989) under Emperor Hirohito.
The Japanese Empire and Imperial Japan are commonly known and used, referring to the same entity, though the literal translation of the title in Japanese is the Empire of Great Japan. It was a major Axis Power and a key ally of Nazi Germany's aggressive global policies. Emperor Hirohito was the Emperor of Japan during this period of Japanese history, though the emperor took on the role of a constitutional monarch after Japan's defeat in World War II. Japan's main military branches were the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy and both were considered one of the most powerful in the world prior to the Second World War. During this period in Japan, there was rapid industrialization and increase of military resources. One example is the nationalized navy that was able to defeat both Russia and China in territorial wars. After this rapid industralization before the 1940s, Japan adopted a policy of outward expansion to acquire foreign colonies and resources, eyeing China, Korea and Southeast Asia.
The country had been called the Empire of Japan since the feudal anti-shogunate domains, Satsuma and Chōshū, formed the base of their new government during the Meiji Restoration, with the intention of making it an empire.
History
The founding of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) has its roots in the Meiji Restoration, a political movement with whole restructuring of politics of Japan. During this time Togukawa shogunate was in full control of the Japanese island. During the Togukawa era, Japan was officially closed from the outside world that resulted in the development and flourishment of the Japanese culture and arts. During these times Western powers were increasingly becoming powerful militarily and economically with colonies in many different parts of the world, that includes the control of Southeast Asian nations by the US, UK, Germany, and Netherlands. Because of powerful military and influence, Japan was for the first time officially had to bow down to the United States with the Convention of Kanagawa, a gun boat based diplomacy for the purpose of putting unequal trade between Japan and the United States with the benefit to the US. With the realization of weakness among the people of Japan and the revolutionaries, along with writers such as Fukuzawa Yukichi, Japan learned and planned to become a powerful country, so that it can be independent and powerful similar to many Western powers. This led to the Meiji Restoration of frantic, aggressive and fast industrialization by sending envoys, students and observers to Western nations by Japan to build a powerful country. Eventually military was seen as the only tool for the prosperity and stability of Japan from Western powers and their military and the use of it to colonize other countries in east and southeast Asia. Japan had consulted with many European leader, especially the Chancellor of Germany at the time that suggested, if country was to become independent and powerful, it needs to have a powerful military. Meiji Restoration can also be described as a revolution.
Influences
Prominent writers such as Fukuzawa Yukichi were instrumental in encouraging Japan to practice realpolitik and embrace change strictly based on practical needs without sentimental and ideological consideration. Fukuzawa encouraged Japanese people to compete with other Western countries using Westernization, stating that any civilization is dependent on time and circumstance and should adapt as necessary when the times change and when there are more benefits to be gained. Fukuzawa wrote that "Civilization is like the measles. It's better than measles that it can bring interests." He also advocated people of Japan to "taste the fruits of civilization," that is Western and therefore embrace change. His philosophy also advocated individualism, education, and self-strength.
Politics
Constitution
Text to the 1889 Constitution of the Empire of Japan Imperial Japan was founded after the 1889 signing of Constitution of the Empire of Japan that formalized many of the political structure of Imperial Japan and gave many responsibilities and control to the Emperor.
Although it was in the 1889 Constitution of the Empire of Japan that the title Empire of Japan was officially used for the first time, it was not until 1936 that the proper official title of the country was legalized. Meanwhile, the names "Nippon" (日本; Japan), "Dai-Nippon" (大日本; Great Japan), "Dai-Nippon/-Nihon Koku" (大日本国; Nation of Great Japan), "Nihon Teikoku" (日本帝国; Empire of Japan) were all used officially.
In 1946, a year after the close of the war, Japan was restructured, and the country's title was once again revised, to “The State of Japan” (日本国; Nihon Koku) in the draft in the 1946 Constitution of Japan.
Economy
Before World War II, Japan built an extensive empire that included Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria, and parts of northern China. The Japanese regarded this sphere of influence as a political and economic necessity, preventing foreign states from strangling Japan by blocking its access to raw materials and crucial sea-lanes. Japan's large military force was regarded as essential to the empire's defense and prosperity through obtaining natural resources since Japan has very little natural resources to sustain growth.
Rapid growth and structural change characterized Japan's two periods of economic development since 1868. In the first period, the economy grew only moderately at first and relied heavily on traditional agriculture to finance modern industrial infrastructure. By the time the Russo-Japanese War began in 1904, 65 % of employment and 38 % of the gross domestic product (GDP) was still based on agriculture, but modern industry had begun to expand substantially. By the late 1920s, manufacturing and mining contributed 23 % of GDP, compared with 21 % for all of agriculture. Transportation and communications had developed to sustain heavy industrial development.
Militarization of Japan's politics and economic policies
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At same time, the capitalist groups or zaibatsu (principally Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo, Yasuda) could see themselves as the Krupps of the future. Raw materials were a major concern. Fumimaro Konoye synthesised pressing social concerns, and the needs of capital, as a planned expansionist mission.
The seeds of World War Two which were long in germinating were planted in the mid 19th century. In hindsight, the reasons for the war were largely economic. The seizure or protection of spheres of influence, the maintenance of territorial integrity, the acquisition of raw materials as well as Asian markets for the commercial opportunities they presented were all reasons which would eventually account for so much loss of life and national treasure.
Western nations, notably Great Britain, France, and the United States, had for more than one hundred years prior to the outbreak of hostilities exhibited great interest in the commercial opportunities in China and other parts of Asia. These opportunities had attracted Western investment for the exploitation of raw materials for the manufacture of products not only for domestic consumption but for export of finished goods back to the Orient
These opportunities were eyed covetously by Japan through what was to become known as the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Once outright war was joined, the Domei Tsushin Press Agency would celebrate the quality of Japan's armaments. Mitsubishi and the others had taken the measure of the "white barbarians".
Araki Sadao was an important figurehead and founder of the Army party and he was the most important rigth-wing thinker in that time; his first ideological works date from his leadership of the Kodaha (Imperial Benevolent Rule or Action Group), opposed by the Toseiha (Control Group) led by General Kazushige Ugaki. He linked the ancient (bushido code) and contemporary local and European fascist ideals (Japanese fascism), to form the ideological basis of the movement (Showa nationalism).
From September 1932, the Japanese were becoming more locked into the course that would lead them into the Second World War and Araki was leading the way. Totalitarianism, militarism and expansionism were to become the rule and fewer voices would be able even to speak against it. In a September 23 news conference Araki first mentioned the philosophy of "Kodoha" (The Imperial Way). The concept of Kodo linked the Emperor, the people, land and morality as one and indivisible. This led to the creation of a "new" Shinto and increased Emperor worship.
The state was being transformed into a creation that served the Army and the Emperor, while the Army transformed into a fanatical force. Symbolically katana sword came back into fashion as the martial embodiment of these beliefs, and the Nambu pistol became its contemporary equivalent, with the implicit message that the Army doctrine of close combat would prevail.
The final objetive envisioned by Army thinkers and right-wing line followers,was a return to the old Shogunate system, but in the form of a contemporary Military Shogunate.In such a government the Emperor would once more be a figurehead (as in the Edo period). Real power would fall to a leader, in fact very similar to a Führer or Duce,though with the power less nakedly held. On the other hand, the Navy militarists was traditionalist ,defended the Emperor and a monarchial constitution. For them the religious aspect was significant.
When militarist political clique take the power by democratic elections during 1941,run tu putting in practice your ideals and plans derived from your political doctrines in Central civil government policies,centralised economy and industry amongst social and culture of Japanese society in period.
Pre-World War I conflicts
First Sino-Japanese War
Prior to its engagement in the First World War, the Empire of Japan fought in two significant wars after its establishment following the Meiji Revolution. The first was the First Sino-Japanese War, fought between 1894 and 1895. The war revolved around the issue of control and influence over the Kingdom of Korea under the rule of the Joseon Dynasty. A peasant rebellion led to a request by the Korean government for China to send troops in to stabilize the region. The Empire of Japan responded by sending their own force to Korea and installing a puppet government in Seoul. China objected and war ensued. In a brief affair with Japanese ground troops routing Chinese forces on the Liaodong Peninsula, and the near destruction of the Chinese navy in the Battle of the Yalu River. China was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ceded parts of Manchuria and the island of Formosa to Japan (see Taiwan under Japanese rule). It also established Japanese supremacy over China for the next fifty years.
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was a conflict for control of Korea and parts of Manchuria by the Russian Empire and Empire of Japan that took place from 1904 to 1905. The war is significant as the first modern war where an Asian country defeated a European power and greatly raised Japan's measure in the world of global politics. The war is marked by the Japanese rebuff of Russian interests in Korea, Manchuria, and China. Notably, the Liaodong Peninsula, controlled by the city of Port Arthur. Originally, in the Treaty of Shimonseki, Port Author had been given over to Japan. This part of the treaty was over ruled by Western powers, which in turn gave the port to the Russian Empire, furthering Russian interests in the region. These interests came into conflict with Japanese interests. The war began with a surprise attack on the Russian Eastern fleet stationed at Port Arthur, which was followed by the Battle of Port Arthur. Those elements that attempted escape were defeated by the Japanese navy under Admiral Togo Heihachiro at the Battle of the Yellow Sea. A year later, the Russian Baltic fleet arrived only to be annihilated in the Battle of Tsushima. While the ground war did not fair as poorly for the Russians, the Japanese army was signficantly more aggressive than their Russian counter-parts and gained a political advantage that accumulated with the Treaty of Portsmouth negotiated in the United States by the American president Theodore Roosevelt. As a result, Russia lost half of Sakhalin Island, as well as many mineral rights to Manchuria.
Participation in World War I
Japan entered World War I in 1914, seizing the opportunity of Germany's distraction with the European War and wanting to expand its sphere of influence in China. Japan declared war on Germany in August 23, 1914 and quickly occupied German-leased territories in China's Shandong Province and the Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands in the Pacific (then called German New Guinea). The Battle of Tsingtao, a swift invasion in the German colony of Jiaozhou (Kiautschou) proved successful and the colonial troops surrendered on November 7 1914.
With Japan's Western allies, notably the United Kingdom, heavily involved in the war in Europe, it sought further to consolidate its position in China by presenting the Twenty-One Demands to China in January 1915. Besides expanding its control over the German holdings, Manchuria, and Inner Mongolia, Japan also sought joint ownership of a major mining and metallurgical complex in central China, prohibitions on China's ceding or leasing any coastal areas to a third power, and miscellaneous other political, economic, and military controls, which, if achieved, would have reduced China to a Japanese protectorate. In the face of slow negotiations with the Chinese government, widespread anti-Japanese sentiments in China, and international condemnation, Japan withdrew the final group of demands, and treaties were signed in May 1915
Participation in World War II
Imperial Japan allied with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy militarily and had similar goals in their respective world regions with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy's expansion in Europe and Imperial Japan's expansion in Asia. This alliance was created to increase their military powers and cooperation in relation to other nations and was known as the Axis alliance.
After the unequal treaties were cancelled and as Imperial Japan got increasingly powerful militarily and started contesting territories of other nations such as China, Russia the Allies, especially United States and Great Britain, restricted their trade with Imperial Japan. The Axis alliance is also cited as Nazi Germany's desire to put pressure on Britain and United States and goes as a warning to US to remain neutral country in World War II or otherwise get involved in war from two opposite fronts - west and east. It is also cited as weapon exchange between the two nations through Africa and South Asia.
On September 4, 1941, the Japanese Cabinet met to consider the war plans prepared by Imperial General Headquarters, and decided that:
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- Our Empire, for the purpose of self-defence and self-preservation, will complete preparations for war ... [and is] ... resolved to go to war with the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands if necessary. Our Empire will concurrently take all possible diplomatic measures vis-a-vis the United States and Great Britain, and thereby endeavor to obtain our objectives ... In the event that there is no prospect of our demands being met by the first ten days of October through the diplomatic negotiations mentioned above, we will immediately decide to commence hostilities against the United States, Britain and the Netherlands.
Member of the Axis Powers
Japan joined Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini as Axis Powers to "maintain new order of things" and defend each other in case if one of the countries got attacked, which was the result of the Tripartite Pact and an alliance.
Invasions and attacks
China
Japan set its sights on China, Korea and other countries in Southeast Asia as a result of a critical lack of resources. Japan needed these resources to continue its rapid industrialization and development. After conquering some of the territories of these nations, it started contesting Russia's far-eastern territory and eventually began to invade eastern Mongolia.
Japan turned to a government form that was very similar to Fascism as a result of the Great Depression. Although this unique style of government was very similar to Fascism, there were many significant differences between the two and has therefore been termed Japanese nationalism.
Unlike the regimes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, Japan had two economic goals in developing an empire. First, Japan's tightly controlled domestic military industry jump-started the nation's economy in the midst of the depression. Japan was forced to import raw materials such as iron, oil, and coal to maintain strong growth in the industrial sector due to the lack of natural resources on Japan's home islands. Most of these raw materials came from the United States. As a result of this military-industrial development scheme and the industrial growth of Japan, mercantilist theories prevailed. The Japanese felt that resource-rich colonies were needed to compete with European powers. Korea (1910) and Formosa (Taiwan 1895) had earlier been annexed primarily as agricultural colonies. In addition to Korea and Formosa, Japan primarily targeted Manchuria's iron and coal, Indochina's rubber, and China's agricultural resources.
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Japan invaded China in 1937, creating what was essentially a three-way war between Japan, Mao Zedong's communists, and Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists. In that same year, the Nationalist capital of Nanking fell to Japanese troops. The event, known as the Nanking Massacre, happened in the winter of 1937 and it is estimated that nearly 300,000 people, almost entirely comprised of civilians, were killed.
With little resistance, Japan invaded and conquered Manchuria in 1931. Japan claimed that this invasion was a liberation of the Manchus from the Chinese, just as it had claimed that the annexation of Korea was an act of protection. Japan then established a puppet regime called Manchukuo, and established the former Emperor of China, Puyi, as the official head of state. Jehol, a Chinese territory bordering Manchuria, was also taken in 1933.
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Malaysia (British Malaya)
The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army, comprised of British, Indian, Australian and Malays from the Federated Malay States forces, and the Japanese Imperial Army from December 8 1941 until January 31 1942 during the Second World War.
Singapore (British Malaya)
The Battle of Singapore was a battle fought in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II when Imperial Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. The fighting in Singapore lasted from February 7, 1942 – February 15, 1942 and resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. About 80,000 Indian, Australian and British troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken in the Japanese invasion of Malaya.
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British Burma
See Burma Campaign.
Netherlands Indonesia
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Mongolia
The incident began on 11 May 1939, when a Mongolian cavalry unit of some 70-90 men entered the disputed area in search of grazing for their horses, and encountered Manchukuoan cavalry who drove them out of the disputed territory. Two days later the Mongolian force returned and the Manchukoans were unable to evict them.
At this point the Japanese Kwantung Army became involved -- a reconnaissance unit under Lt. Col. Yaozo Azuma was sent to engage the Mongolians on 14 May, but they retreated west of the river with few losses. Joseph Stalin ordered STAVKA, the Red Army's high command, to develop a plan for a counterstrike against the Japanese. To lead the attack, Georgy Zhukov, a young officer of promise, was chosen.
American Philippines
Japan launched air raids on US military positions in Philippines following the bombing of Pearl Harbor December 7th, 1941, and Japanese troops went ashore in the Philippines December 10th, initiating the Battle of the Philippines. This battle, in turn, encompassed two other battles, the Battle of Bataan and the Battle of Corregidor. By January of 1942 General MacArthur and President Quezon were forced to flee in the face of Japanese advances. This marked among one of the worst defeats in American military history and left over 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war in the custody of the Japanese. Ten thousand of these prisoners later died on the Bataan Death March, known as Batān Shi no Kōshin in Japanese.
Imperial Japanese military rule lasted over two years. It was marked the resistance of several guerrilla armies and the incredible sufferings of the Philippine population.
The guerrilla forces were joined by General MacArthur and troops October 19th, 1944, and the Philippines campaign of 1944-45 was largely successful. Fighting ended with the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on September 2nd, 1945.
Australia
The two Japanese air raids on Darwin, Australia, on February 19, 1942 were by far the biggest ever attack by a foreign power against the Australian mainland. They were also a significant action in the Pacific campaign of World War II and represented a major psychological blow to the Australian population, several weeks after hostilities with Japan had begun. The raids were the first of about 100 air raids against Australia during 1942-43.
This event is often called the "Pearl Harbor of Australia." Although it was a relatively less significant target, a greater number of bombs were dropped on Darwin than were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor. As was the case at Pearl Harbor, the Australian town was unprepared, and although it came under attack from the air another 63 times in 1942 and 1943, the raids on February 19 were massive and devastating by comparison.
Pearl Harbor
The Imperial Japanese Navy made its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine air forces sustained significant losses. The primary objective of the attack was to incapacitate the United States long enough for Japan to establish its long-planned Southeast Asian empire and defensible buffer zones. The U.S. public saw the attack as a treacherous act and rallied against the Empire of Japan, causing the United States to enter World War II on the side of the Allied powers.
War crimes
Sook Ching
When the Japanese occupied Singapore, the Japanese military authorities became concerned about the local Chinese population. The Japanese Imperial Army had become aware that the ethnic Chinese had strong loyalties to either the United Kingdom or China, with wealthy Chinese financing Chiang Kai-Shek's effort in the Second Sino-Japanese War, after Japan had invaded China on July 1937, with other charity drives. The military authorities, led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, decided on a policy of "eliminating" the anti-Japanese elements.
Soon after the fall of Singapore, Lieutenant Colonel Masayuki Oishi, commander of No. 2 Field Kempeitai, took over the offices of the Supreme Court building. Singapore was broken up into sectors, each placed under the control of a Kempeitai officer. The Japanese set up designated "screening centers" all over the colony. The blueprint was to gather and screen all Chinese males between 18 to 50 years old, and eliminating those thought to be anti-Japanese. The ones who passed the "screening" would receive a piece of paper with "Examined" written on it, or have a square ink mark on their arms and shirts. Those who did not pass the "screening" would be stamped with triangular marks. There were trucks near these screening centers to send those anti-Japanese elements to their deaths. The Japanese Army chose remote sites such as Changi, Punggol, Blakang Mati and Bedok to perform the executions, with the victims thrown overboard off boats or be machine-gunned to death off the harbour.
Nanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre, commonly known as "The Rape of Nanking", refers to the most infamous of the war crimes committed by the Japanese military during World War II—acts carried out by Japanese troops in and around Nanjing (then known in English as Nanking), China, after it fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on December 13, 1937. The duration of the massacre is not clearly defined, although the period of carnage lasted well into the next six weeks, until early February 1938.
The extent of the atrocities is hotly debated, with numbers ranging from the claim of the Japanese army at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East that the death toll was military in nature and that "no such atrocities ever occurred", to the Chinese claim of a non-combatant death toll of 300,000. The West has generally tended to adopt the Chinese point-of-view, with many Western sources now quoting 300,000 dead. This is partly due to the commercial success of Iris Chang's "The Rape of Nanking", which set the stage for the debate of the issue in the West; and the existence of extensive photographic records of the mutilated bodies of women and children.
Path to defeat
Significant defeats
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Japanese military strategists were keenly aware of the unfavorable discrepancy between the idustrial potential of the Japanese Empire and that of the United States. Because of this they reasoned that Japanese success hinged on their ability to extend the strategic advantage gained at Pearl Harbor with additional strategic victories. Only decisive destruction of the United States' Pacific Fleet and conquest of its remote outposts would insure that the Japanese Empire was not overwhelmed by America's industrial might. In May of 1942, failure to decisively defeat the Allies at the Battle of Coral Sea in spite of Japanese numerical superiority equated to a strategic defeat for Imperial Japan. This setback was followed in June of 1942 by the catastrophic loss of a four carrier task force at The Battle fo Midway. Midway was a decisive defeat for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and proved the turning point fo the war. Further defeats by the Allies at Guadalcanal in September of 1942, and New Guinea in 1943 put the Empire of Japan on defensive for the remainder of the war. By 1944 the Allies had seized or neutralized many of Japan's strategic bases through amphibious landings and bombardment. This, coupled with the losses inflicted by allied submarines on Japanese shipping routes began to strangle Japan's economy and undermine its ability to supply its army. By early 1945 the US Marines had wrested control of the Ogasawa Islands in several hard-fought battles such as the Battle of Iwo Jima, marking the beginning of the fall of the islands of Japan.
Kamikaze attacks
During 1943-44, Allied forces, backed by the industrial might and rich resources of the United States, were advancing steadily towards Japan. Commander Asaiki Tamai asked a group of 23 talented student pilots, whom he had personally trained, to volunteer for the special attack force. All of the pilots raised both of their hands, thereby volunteering to join the operation. Later, Tamai asked Lieutenant Yukio Seki to command the special attack force. Seki is said to have closed his eyes, lowered his head and thought for ten seconds, before asking Tamai: "please let me do that." Seki thereby became the 24th kamikaze or suicide pilot to be chosen.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
After securing airfields in Saipan and Guam in the summer of 1944, the United States undertook an agressive campaign of carpet bombing Japanese cities in an effort to pulverize Japan's industry and shatter its morale. While these campaigns led to the deaths of hundreds of thousand of civilians they did not succeed in persuading the Japanese to surrender. In the Summer of 1945, The United States dropped two nuclear weapons on Japan at the end of the World War II. The atomic bombing was the first and last used against another nation in a time of war. These bombs killed around 100,000–200,000 people in a matter of minutes, and many more people died as a result of nuclear radiation in the following weeks, months, and years.
Defeat and surrender
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Seven days after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Empire of Japan signed unconditional surrender and ended the war with the Allies in Potsdam Declaration. Hirohito said:
- Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should We continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. Such being the case, how are We to save the millions of Our subjects, or to atone Ourselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the Powers.
He also said at the end of his sovereign reign that
- The ties between Us and Our people have always stood upon mutual trust and affection and do not depend upon mere legends and myths. They are not predicated on the false conception that the Emperor is divine, and that the Japanese people are superior to other races and fated to rule the world.
Former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo also said after the defeat before being executed for war crimes:
- It is natural that I should bear entire responsibility for the war in general, and, needless to say, I am prepared to do so. Consequently, now that the war has been lost, it is presumably necessary that I be judged so that the circumstances of the time can be clarified and the future peace of the world be assured. Therefore, with respect to my trial, it is my intention to speak frankly, according to my recollection, even though when the vanquished stands before the victor, who has over him the power of life and death, he may be apt to toady and flatter. I mean to pay considerable attention to this in my actions, and say to the end that what is true is true and what is false is false. To shade one's words in flattery to the point of untruthfulness would falsify the trial and do incalculable harm to the nation, and great care must be taken to avoid this.
Prominent political leaders
In the administration of Japan dominated by the Army political movement during World War II,the civil central government was under the management of military men,rigth-wing civilian partidaires,amongst members of nobility and Imperial Family.
In first place was the Emperor,supreme Commander in Chief of Armed Imperial Forces, head of state and central government, and representative of the "Imperial Sun Lineage", State Shinto and worship national cult image, and chief of the Imperial Household.
The next poilitcal power center was represent by the Army party,like any political movement, had a inner structure. The highest placed were the secretary general and supreme party leader and their leading group or "directorate" (political cabinet)conformed by the most important founders and party associates. official doctrines came also from the middle and lower party members.Influence and contact with real power and central government institutions (and overseas also) was a constant concern.
Important institutional links were with the Government: national young association and the "political section" of the army military police. Amongst the secret societies,were close,and a source of loyal partidaires. The residents committee s groups,the national government trade union and local farmers association were all allied. The state religious and educational systems were also targets.Direct links with Imperial Armed forces political sections supported the formation of similar right-wing movements in all the occupied lands of the early Pacific War.
The Army political clique represented the principal right-wing political movement in the Empire of Japan from some point in the 1930s, emerging from a welter of similar groups and secret societies. In 1941, as a political party, it achieved the goal of real power. Its members led all political and military national efforts during the Pacific War.
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- Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Showa) (Head of government and head of state)
- Prime Minister Hideki Tojo
- Juzo Nishio: Governor of the Tokyo metropolitan area
- Korechika Anami: Minister of War
- Hyotaro Yamada: War Vice-Minister
- Koshiró Oikawa: Marine Minister
- Shigeyoshi Inoue: Vice-Minister of Navy
- Koichi Kido: Welfare Minister
- Sadao Araki: Minister of Education
- Kazuo Aoki: Finance Minister
- Teijiro Toyoda: Commerce and Industry Minister
- Shozo Murata: Communications Minister
- Heisuke Yanagawa: Justice Minister
- Kiichiro Hiranuma: Home Affairs Minister
- Aisuke Kabayama: Member of House of Peers
- Chikao Fujisawa: Member of Diet (Parliament),
- Kingoro Hashimoto: member of House of Representatives of Japan
- Shigemitsu Mamoru: Foreign Affairs Minister
- Koiso Kuniaki: Ministry of Greater East Asia (Japan)
- Nobuyuki Abe: Governor-General of Chosen (Korea)
Imperial Japanese Military
Military of Imperial Japan was the Imperial Japanese Military divided into two main branches under Imperial General Headquarters responsible for the overall conduct of operations including prominent military leaders and commanders:
| Imperial Japanese Armed Forces |
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| Administration |
 Imperial Japanese Army(Dai Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) |
 Imperial Japanese Navy(Dai Nippon Teikoku Kaigun) |
| Rank insignia |
| History |
- Prominent generals and leaders:
- Imperial Japanese Navy - Navy of Japan
- Admiral Count Sukeyuki Ito (1843-1914)
- Admiral Viscount Yoshika Inoue (1845-1929)
- Admiral Marquis Heihachiro Togo (1847-1934)
- Admiral Prince Takahito Arisugawa (1862-1913)
- Admiral Baron Goro Ijuin (1852-1921)
- Admiral Prince Yorihito Higashi-Fushimi (1867-1922)
- Admiral Baron Hayao Shimamura (1858-1923)
- Admiral Baron Tomozaburo Kato (1861-1923)
- Admiral Prince Hiroyasu Fushimi (1876-1946)
- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943) Battle of Midway, Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Admiral Osami Nagano (1880-1947)
- Admiral Mineichi Koga (1885-1944)
- Admiral Togo Heihachiro- Battle of Tsushima
- Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo - Battle of Midway, Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Imperial Japanese Army - Army of Japan
- Imperial Japanese Navy - Navy of Japan
Timeline
- 1926: Emperor Taisho dies (December 25).
- 1927: Tanaka Giichi becomes prime minister (April 20).
- 1928: Hirohito is formally installed as emperor (November 10).
- 1929: Hamaguchi Osachi becomes prime minister (July 2).
- 1930: Hamaguchi is wounded in an assassination attempt (November 14).
- 1931: Hamaguchi dies and Wakatsuki Reijiro becomes prime minister (April 14). Japan occupies Manchuria after the Mukden Incident (September 18). Inukai Tsuyoshi becomes prime minister (December 13) and increases funding for the military in China.
- 1932: After an attack on Japanese monks in Shanghai (January 18), Japanese forces shell the city (January 29). Manchukuo is established with Henry Pu Yi as emperor (February 29). Inukai is assassinated during a coup attempt and Saito Makoto becomes prime minister (May 15). Japan is censured by the League of Nations (December 7).
- 1933: Japan leaves the League of Nations (March 27).
- 1934: Okada Keisuke becomes prime minister (July 8). Japan withdraws from the Washington Naval Treaty (December 29).
- 1936: Coup attempt (February 26 Incident). Hirota Koki becomes prime minister (March 9). Japan signs its first pact with Germany (November 25) and occupies Tsingtao (December 3). Mengchiang established in Inner Mongolia.
- 1937: Hayashi Senjuro becomes prime minister (February 2). Prince Konoe Fumimaro becomes prime minister (June 4). Battle of Lugou Bridge (July 7). Japan captures Beijing (July 31). Japanese troops occupy Nanjing (December 13), beginning the Nanjing massacre.
- 1938: Battle of Taierzhuang (March 24). Canton falls to Japanese forces (October 21).
- 1939: Hiranuma Kiichiro becomes prime minister (January 5). Abe Nobuyuki becomes prime minister (August 30).
- 1940: Yonai Mitsumasa becomes prime minister (January 16). Konoe becomes prime minister for a second term (July 22). Hundred Regiments Offensive (August–September). Japan occupies Indochina in the wake of the fall of Paris, and signs the Tripartite Pact (September 27).
- 1941: General Tojo Hideki becomes prime minister (October 18). Japanese naval forces attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (December 7), prompting the United States to declare war on Japan (December 8). Japan conquers Hong Kong (December 25).
- 1942: Singapore surrenders to Japan (February 15). Japan bombs Australia (February 19). Doolittle Raid on Tokyo (April 18). Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4–8). U.S. and Filipino forces in the Battle of the Philippines (1942) surrender (May 8). Japan defeated at the Battle of Midway (June 6). Allied victory in the Battle of Milne Bay (September 5).
- 1943: Allied victory in Battle of Guadalcanal (February 9). Japan defeated at Battle of Tarawa (November 23).
- 1944: Tojo resigns and Koiso Kuniaki becomes prime minister (July 22).
- 1945: U.S. bombers begin firebombing of major Japanese cities. Japan defeated at Battle of Iwo Jima (March 26). Admiral Suzuki Kantaro becomes prime minister (April 7). Japan defeated at Battle of Okinawa (June 21). U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9). Japan surrenders (August 14): Allied occupation begins.
Emperors of the Empire of Japan
| Posthumous name1 | Given name2 | Childhood name3 | Period of Reigns | Era name4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meiji Tennō (明治天皇) |
Mutsuhito (睦仁) |
Sachi-no-miya (祐宮) |
1867-1912 (1890-1912)5 |
Meiji | |
| Taishō Tennō (大正天皇) |
Yoshihito (嘉仁) |
Haru-no-miya (明宮) |
1912-1926 | Taishō | |
| Shōwa Tennō (昭和天皇) |
Hirohito (裕仁) |
Michi-no-miya (迪宮) |
1926-1989 (1926-1947)6 |
Shōwa | |
| 1 Each posthumous name was given after the respective era names as Ming and Qing Dynasties of China. | |||||
| 2 The Japanese imperial family name has no surname or dynastic name. | |||||
| 3 The Meiji Emperor was known only by the appellation Sachi-no-miya from his birth until 11 November 1860, when he was proclaimed heir apparent to Emperor Komei and received the personal name Mutsuhito . | |||||
| 4 No multiple era names were given for each reign after Meiji Emperor. | |||||
| 5 Constitutionally. | |||||
| 6 Constitutionally. The reign of the Showa Emperor in fact continued until 1989 since he did not abdicate after WWII. | |||||
This period includes the Meiji Era, the Taisho Era, and a part of the Showa Era.
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