Japan

Question 1

What was the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902?

Answer 1

Ended Japan’s diplomatic isolation; gave Japan confidence to challenge Russia; recognized Japan as a great power.

Question 2

What was the significance of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)?

Answer 2

Demonstrated Japan’s military capability; first Asian power to defeat a European power; increased military’s prestige in politics.

Question 3

What were the outcomes of the Treaty of Portsmouth (1905)?

Answer 3

Japan gained South Sakhalin and influence in Korea; popular discontent over terms led to civil unrest; strengthened military faction.

Question 4

What was the Korea Annexation of 1910?

Answer 4

First major territorial expansion; provided agricultural resources and labor; established pattern of colonial administration.

Question 5

What were the Twenty-One Demands (1915)?

Answer 5

Attempted to establish Japanese dominance in China; damaged international reputation; showed growing military influence in foreign policy.

Question 6

What were the Rice Riots of 1918?

Answer 6

Revealed social tensions from industrialization; weakened civilian government authority; increased military’s political influence.

Question 7

What was the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference (1919) for Japan?

Answer 7

Japan gained German territories in the Pacific; racial equality proposal rejected; increased anti-Western sentiment.

Question 8

What was the Washington Naval Conference (1921-22)?

Answer 8

Limited Japanese navy expansion; created resentment in military circles; influenced shift toward aggressive policies.

Question 9

What were the effects of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923)?

Answer 9

Economic devastation led to increased military spending; social upheaval strengthened nationalist groups; weakened civilian government.

Question 10

What was the significance of Universal Male Suffrage (1925)?

Answer 10

Expanded democracy but paired with Peace Preservation Law; showed tension between democracy and authoritarianism.

Question 11

What did the Peace Preservation Law (1925) do?

Answer 11

Suppressed political dissent; strengthened state control; limited effectiveness of democratic reforms.

Question 12

What was the impact of the London Naval Treaty (1930)?

Answer 12

Created rift between military and civilian government; Prime Minister Hamaguchi assassinated; weakened democratic institutions.

Question 13

What was the Manchurian Incident (1931)?

Answer 13

Military acted independently of government; established pattern of insubordination; international condemnation.

Question 14

What was the Creation of Manchukuo (1932)?

Answer 14

Puppet state showed military’s growing power; defied League of Nations; economic benefits reinforced military influence.

Question 15

What were the effects of Japan’s League of Nations Withdrawal (1933)?

Answer 15

Diplomatic isolation; strengthened military hardliners; moved Japan closer to Germany.

Question 16

What was the February 26 Incident (1936)?

Answer 16

Failed coup showed military division; purged moderate officers; increased radical military influence.

Question 17

What was the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (1937)?

Answer 17

Sparked full-scale war with China; military made decisions without civilian oversight; international condemnation.

Question 18

What was the role of Genro (Elder Statesmen) post-1920s?

Answer 18

Declining influence; unable to check military power; symbolized weakness of traditional authority.

Question 19

How did the Emperor System evolve?

Answer 19

Symbolic power used by military; unable to prevent military dominance; constitutional monarchy weakened.

Question 20

What was the Diet’s Diminishing Power?

Answer 20

Unable to control military budget; couldn’t prevent unauthorized military actions; showed weakness of democratic institutions.

Question 21

What was the Zaibatsu Influence?

Answer 21

Supported military expansion for profits; provided economic basis for imperialism; contributed to military-industrial complex.

Question 22

What was the Anti-Communist Policy?

Answer 22

Used to suppress political opposition; strengthened military control; justified expansion into China.

Question 23

What does ‘Government by Assassination’ refer to?

Answer 23

Military/ultranationalist intimidation of politicians; weakened civilian authority; showed breakdown of democratic process.

Question 24

What was the Economic Planning Board established in 1937?

Answer 24

Shifted economy to war footing; increased military control of economy; reduced civilian oversight.

Question 25

What did the National Mobilization Law (1938) do?

Answer 25

Gave government control over economy/society; reduced individual rights; strengthened military influence.

Question 26

What was the Imperial Rule Assistance Association (1940)?

Answer 26

Eliminated political parties; created one-party state; completed military control of government.

Question 27

What was the Tripartite Pact (1940)?

Answer 27

Aligned Japan with Nazi Germany and Italy; diplomatic isolation from West; moved toward war path.

Question 28

What were the Oil Embargo Effects (1941)?

Answer 28

Economic pressure led to military solutions; strengthened hard-liners; pushed toward Pearl Harbor.

Question 29

What was the Army-Navy Rivalry?

Answer 29

Competed for resources; affected strategic planning; contributed to poor decision-making.

Question 30

What was the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?

Answer 30

Justified imperial expansion; anti-Western propaganda tool; masked colonial exploitation.

Question 31

Kwantung Army’s Role in Manchuko

Answer 31

Orchestrated Mukden Incident without Tokyo’s approval; established pattern of insubordination; showed real power lay with field commanders not civilian government

Question 32

Zhang Zuolin Assassination 1928

Answer 32

Kwantung Army’s assassination of Chinese warlord; revealed military’s willingness to act independently; test run for larger Manchurian operation

Question 33

Economic Motivations for Manchuko

Answer 33

Iron and coal resources needed for Japanese industry; agricultural land for population pressure; demonstrated military’s focus on economic self-sufficiency

Question 34

Lytton Commission 1932

Answer 34

International investigation condemned Japan; Japanese military ignored findings; showed Japan’s growing defiance of international order

Question 35

Political Structure of Manchuko

Answer 35

Puyi installed as puppet ruler; Japanese advisors held real power; demonstrated Japan’s colonial administration model and “Pan-Asian” propaganda