Midterm

Question 1

Tokugawa Shogunate

Answer 1

1600-1868
established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in Edo
last feudal Japanse military government
head of government is shogun
Skoku Edict - closed country; Japanese forced to stay within country, Catholicism forbidden, trade restricted, 4 social classes: samurai, farmers, artisans and merchants
Internal stresses - social stresses, growth of market economy and emergergence of new social classes
External Stresses - China’s demise and foreign threats
Internal and External stresses led to the end of Tokugawa Shogunate and began Meiji Restoration

Question 2

Meiji Restoration

Answer 2

1868
“revolution from above”
Samurai-led revolution
a complete modernization of Japan through a rallying of public support and national sentiment
ended Tokugawa Shogunate and gave power back to the emperor
Japan gains a constitution, a national education system, army, navy, infrastructure, trade and telegraph

Question 3

Chichibu Rebellion

Answer 3

large-scale peasant revolt in Chichibu Saitama, short distance from Japan’s capital
Land Tax Reform 1873 forced already poor farmers to pay higher taxes forcing their wives into labor and daughters into prostitution or would lose land
Farmers wanted debt absolved but didnt receive it

Question 4

Black Ships

Answer 4

name given to naval ships heads into Japan during the Edo period
Captained by Commodre Matthew Perry
Delivered a letter demanding Japan open trade routes or face destruction
Led to first unequal treaty, Treaty of Amity and Commerce

Question 5

Unequal Treaties

Answer 5

treaties in which Japan had no option to agree to or face destruction
Treaty of Amity and Commerce - opened ports of Kanagawa and 4 other cities to American trade and granted extraterritoriality to foreigners
Led to trade and westernization

Question 6

Extraterritoriality

Answer 6

a treaty clause that provided for the subjugation of foreign residents to the laws of their own consular courts instead of the Japanese legal system

Question 7

Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese War

Answer 7

Sino-Japanese
fought between Qing Empire and Empire of Japan over Korea; Japan wins
China forced to pay indemnity and to give Japan trading privileges on Chinese territory

Russo-Japanese
war fought over Manchuria and Korea; Japan wins
Japan gains Port Arthur and railway leading to Port Arthur as well as evacuation of Russians from Manchuria

Japan proves itself to be a huge power

Question 8

Manchurian Incident and Nanjing Massacre

Answer 8

Manchurian Incident
seizure of Manchurian city of Mukden by Japanese troops which was thought up by Japanese army without the approval of the Japanese government
Contributed to international isolation of Japan

Nanjing Massacre
mass murder and rape committed by the Japanese e troops on civilians of Nanjing (Capital of China at the time), 100k-300k killed

Both led to WWII

Question 9

Comfort Women

Answer 9

Women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied territories before and during WWII

Question 10

Taisho Democracy

Answer 10

Japan’s continued moves toward broader representational government
Increased westernization but also a nationalistic counter-reaction with interests of traditional Japanese art, literature and history as well as confucianism
Kokutai - an enduring Japanese polity closely defined with an unbroken and divine ancient imperial line was promoted
Tax qualification reduced = more voters and eventually eliminated in 1925

Question 11

General Election Law

Answer 11

passed in 1925 in Taisho period extending voting rights to all males over 25

Question 12

Peace Preservation Law

Answer 12

intended to suppress the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement
imposed stringent restrictions on the press, public speeches and political meetings
Repealed but replaced by worse Public Order and Police Law

Question 13

S.C.A.P.

Answer 13

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers
supreme commander served as the executive authority for the Allied powers in Japan and was subject to policy making to “restore security, dignity and self-respect to Japanese people”
Position held by General Macarthur following WWII
Draft of constitution, changing of the emperor’s power, media censorship and demonstration of culture with western values

Question 14

1947 Constitution

Answer 14

outlined a massive restructuring of Japanese political system
Reduced emperor to a symbol who had no political authority
Disallowed Japan to have an army or to go to war ever again
declared fundamental human rights to Japanese people
eliminated non-parliamentary organs
Freely elected people

Question 15

San Francisco Peace treaty

Answer 15

Signed by 48 countries
Officially ended the American-led Allied Occupation of Japan
Returned sovereignty to Japan and ended Japan’s imperial power
Allocated compensation to Allied civilians and former prisoners of war of WWII

Question 16

Treaty of Kanghwa

Answer 16

Unequal treaty
Gave Japan special trading rights and privileges in Korea that were not reciprocated to Koreans in Japan
Opened ports and granted Japan the right of extraterritoriality
Defined Korea as an independent state

Question 17

Potsdam Declaration

Answer 17

Demanded the surrender of Japan and plan for administrative postwar Japan
Eliminated all authority and influence who had myself people of Japan
Japanese military disarmed
Allies take over Japan and prepare to change it
Japanese war criminals receive punishment
Unconditional surrender of ultimate destruction

Question 18

Kokutai

Answer 18

an enduring Japanese national polity closely identified with an unbroken and divine ancient imperial line promoted during Taisho democracy
System of government, Sovereignty, national identity, essence and character define Kokutai
Bring Japanese people to their roots

Question 19

Imperial Rescript of Education

Answer 19

Signed by Emperor Meiji to articulate government policy on the guiding principles of education on the Empire of Japan
Ideals of Kokutai
Fundamental purpose of education was to cultivate virtues especially loyalty and filial piety
Allies forbade formal readings in schools and eventually abolished it

Question 20

Kwangtung Army

Answer 20

army group of the Imperial Japanese Army, engineered the Manchurian Incident

Question 21

Matthew Perry

Answer 21

Black ships - naval war ships, Opened Japan to America trading, Perry sailed into Japan delivered letter demanding trade or face destruction, forced the unequal treaty, Treaty of Amity and Commerce

Question 22

Satsuma and Choshu

Answer 22

two families with formed military alliances between the feudal domains of Satsuma and Choshu to overthrow Tokugawa Shogunate
Led to Meiji Restoration

Question 23

Mori Animori

Answer 23

Meiji period Japanese statesman, diplomat and founder of Japan’s modern educational system; one of the most influential and iconoclastic proponents of Western ideals in Japan

Question 24

Zaibatsu

Answer 24

large Japanese business conglomerates, similar to cartels or trusts but usually organized around a single family
After WWII Allied occupation ordered Zaibatsu dissolved
Ex: Mitsubishi

Question 25

Ito Hirobumi

Answer 25

prime minister of Japan
London educated Samurai played an important role in building modern Japan
Helped draft Meiji constitution and brought about the establishment of a bicameral National Diet

Question 26

The Shishi

Answer 26

group of Japanese political activists of the late Edo period
Believed in revering the Emperor
Samurais

Question 27

Fukuzawa Yukichi

Answer 27

author, educator and published who wrote over 100 books during Meiji Revolution pushing for Western ideals
Explained parliamentary government, popular education, language reform, women’s rights abolition of all feudal privileges

Question 28

Douglas Macarthur

Answer 28

Army General
SCAP
In charge of rebuilding Japan in a way it would never pose a military threat again
Pushed to keep emperor as a symbol with no power as he is synonymous with Japanese culture
Zaibatsu dismantled
labor and land reforms
Food distribution first priority stating “democracy cannot be taught to starving people”
Encouraged Japanese Army Hideki Tojo to accept full responsibility and to protect the emperor

Question 29

What role did the Meiji restoration play in Japan’s modernization/industrialization?

Answer 29

1) A highly centralized, bureaucratic government
2) A constitution establishing an elected parliament
3) A well-developed transport and communication system
4) A highly educated population free of feudal class restrictions
5) An established and rapidly growing industrial sector based on the latest technology
6) A powerful army and navy

Question 30

What caused the failure of Taisho democracy? Could its collapse have been prevented?

Answer 30

1) Downturn of the world economy
a) Following WWI, Japan was forced to compete with other struggling industrial nations for economic dominance, and new to this, was slow to pass legislation and deal with its issues.
b) As Japan’s economy worsened, international trade was at a standstill and countries resorted to nationalistic economic policies
2) Shunning of Japanese immigrants in western countries
a) Japanese Exclusion Act of 1924
i) Japanese viewed as inferior by Western Nations
3) Independence of Japan’s military
a) As sectors declined, Japanese army resorted to “Imperial Way Faction”
b) Japanese nationalism overwhelmed the parliament and the military continued to blame government for economic despair and surrendering to the western nations
i) Hostility is brewing
ii) Turned to radical nationalism and eventually a military state ready for war

Question 31

Who or what were the most important influences on the process of drafting the 1947 constitution?

Answer 31

1) Meiji Restoration paved the way for a better Japanese economic, social and political life
a) Mori Animori
b) Ito Hirbumi
c) Fukuzawa Yukichi
2) Potsdam Declaration
3) Matthew Perry forcing first unequal treaty
4) Douglas MacArthur