Japan Vocab

Question 1

Sakoku

Answer 1

Closed country

Question 2

Shogun

Answer 2

A military dictator

Question 3

Diet

Answer 3

Public house representation of the government

Question 4

Black Ships

Answer 4

Commodore Perry’s black ships arrived in Japan during Tokugawa Yoshinobu and threatened them, leading up to the Treaty of Kanagawa

Question 5

Treaty of Kanagawa

Answer 5

1854, Opened ports for fueling and granted the US “most favored nation” status

Question 6

Meiji Restoration

Answer 6

Emperor Meiji wanted to make Japan modern, civilized, and westernized; Promoted national unity and patriotism under a “rich country, strong military”

Question 7

Zaibatsu

Answer 7

Large conglomerate corporations from Meiji Japan that had significant political power; dominated Japanese economy and had ties with the military

Question 8

Sun Goddess

Answer 8

God in Shintoism; created Japan and Japanese imperial families were descendants

Question 9

Throwing off Asia

Answer 9

Meiji’s philosophy on foreign policy in which Japan must abandon Asian neighbors (China / Korea) to become a “first-class” country and colonize Asia before West; deal with Asia as the West would

Question 10

Article Five of the Charter Oath

Answer 10

1868; military reform; Japan seeking worldly knowledge for military development (training w/ Prussia & buying warships from Britain)

Question 11

Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors

Answer 11

1882 Emperor’s official ethics code for the military where soldiers must be loyal to Emperor, avoid politics & respect civilians. Made to strengthen bond between military, public, and emperor

Question 12

Samurai Legacy / Bushido Code

Answer 12

Developed to obtain the public’s support for expansionism; emphasized self-sacrifice and fighting to the death, paired with Imperial Rescript

Question 13

Espirit-de-corps

Answer 13

Spirit of the collective, also applied to industrial workers; sense of unity

Question 14

Treaty of Kanghwa / Japan-Korea Treaty of Amity

Answer 14

1876; Japan forced Korea into an unequal treaty via gunboat diplomacy; secured special rights to the Jap. people; exchange of diplomatic agents/additional ports and cities for trade (basically Treaty of Kanagawa)

Question 15

First Sino-Japanese War

Answer 15

1894-1895; Began as a Korean rebellion against Japan, but ended in a convincing Japanese victory over China, a country that was much larger and had British support; boosted Japan morale and led to the treaty that gave them Korea (Treaty of Shimonoseki)

Question 16

Treaty of Shimonoseki

Answer 16

Treaty forcing China to recognize independence of Korea and make concessions to Japan 1895

Question 17

Triple Intervention

Answer 17

Germany, Russia, and France forced Japan to give up the Liaodong Peninsula

Question 18

Anglo-Japanese Alliance

Answer 18

1902, if Japan fought with Russia they wouldn’t have to worry about other powers. Strengthened Japan’s position & was later replaced by the Four Powers Treaty

Question 19

Treaty of Portsmouth

Answer 19

Treaty between Russia and Japan ending the Russo-Japanese War 1905

Question 20

Twenty-One Demands

Answer 20

Japan issued to China; to agree to the Japanese remaining in Shandong, grant Japan extra commercial privileges in Manchuria, not to lease coastal territories to others, and accept political/financial/military advisors sent from Japan

Question 21

Racial Equality Clause

Answer 21

Formal acceptance that Japanese race was not holding Britain and US down

Question 22

Washington Treaty System

Answer 22

A series of treaties signed by Japan in the 1920’s to reduce armies

Question 23

Four Power Treaty

Answer 23

1921, USA, Britain, France, and Japan were to confer if there was a crisis in the Pacific

Question 24

Five Power Treaty

Answer 24

1921, Limited the tonnage of US, British, Japanese, French & Italian navies; 5:5:3 ratio (US,B,J) respectively + 1.75 ratio (F & I)

Question 25

Nine Power Treaty

Answer 25

1922, Japan, US, Britain, France, Italy, China, Portugal, Belgium, and Netherlands were to respect China’s integrity, independence & abide by “open door” principles

Question 26

Kellogg-Briand Pact

Answer 26

1928 agreement where nations agreed not to pose threat of war against one another

Question 27

Taisho Democracy

Answer 27

Liberal Japan; Electorate extended to all adult males (1925), rise of media, joined League of Nations

Question 28

Takashi Hara

Answer 28

Prime Minister (1918-1921) introduced social and economic reforms; military contained and led Japan into the League of Nations

Question 29

Shidehara Kijuro

Question 30

Peace Preservation Law

Question 31

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

Answer 31

increased duties on Japanese goods by as much as 200% & caused silk market to fall -> rapid unemployment

Question 32

Kwantung Army

Answer 32

advocated for military dictatorship and aggressive expansion (“military makes decisions”)

Question 33

Dark Valley

Question 34

Imperial Way Faction

Question 35

May 15th Incident

Question 36

Mukden Incident

Answer 36

Kwangtung Army blew up its own railway and blamed it on the Chinese

Question 37

Manchukuo

Question 38

New Order is East Asia

Question 39

Lytton Commission

Answer 39

Fact-finding commission sent to investigate Mukden Incident, led by Lord Lytton (Britain) took many months to arrive & complete report

Question 40

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Question 41

Second Sino-Japanese War

Answer 41

Series of incidents between China and Japan in summer 1937 (mostly open warfare) Started at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing

Question 42

Rape of Nanking

Question 43

Stimson Doctrine

Answer 43

Any agreements violating the Open Door Policy or Kellogg-Briand Pact would not be recognized

Question 44

Tripartite Pact

Answer 44

1940 alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy

Question 45

Soviet-Japanese Non-Aggression Pact

Question 46

Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

Answer 46

Fostered by Hitler’s impressive early victories in Europe; Idea that all of Asia should get rid of foreign influence; Japan’s attempt to form an economic and military bloc consisting of nations within East and Southeast Asia against Western colonization and manipulation