The Making of Japan Flashcards
The radioactive materials leaked by the damaged nuclear reactors after the major Japan earthquake in 2011 contaminated not only their immediate environs, including nearby farms and their produce and seawater in the area adjacent to the plant, but even tap water at locations as far away as Tokyo. True or False
True
Similar to the United States, the judges on the Japanese Supreme Court serve for life to keep them above the political fray. True or False
False
Japan is richly endowed with natural resources, particularly coal and metal ores. True or False
False
Ancient and medieval Japan imported not only large amounts of material goods from their neighbors, but also wide-ranging forms of culture, such as religion, literature, law, architecture, and fine arts. True or False
True
Bushi (samurai) were the merchant class in medieval Japan. True or False
False
The largest financial and industrial conglomerates were divided into a number of independent firms under the democratization program during the postwar occupation but were later revived. True or False
True
Under the Tokugawa shogunate period, the emperor maintained the real political and economic power in Japan. True or False
False
Tokugawa Japan was an open society, encouraging regular contacts with foreign governments. True or False
False
Led by a young heir to the imperial throne, over the next fifty years the Meiji Restoration was able to transform a feudal state into a major industrial and military power. True or False
True
The Meiji government introduced a national public education system, composed of primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions. True or False
True
In actual practice, it was the oligarchy of the emperor’s senior advisors who exercised the power under Meiji. True or False
True
The political power and influence of the military grew steadily throughout the Meiji-Taisho era. True or False
True
Although the military has played a profound role in Japanese history, unlike many underdeveloped countries where the armed forces have had little respect for civilian rule, there has never been an attempted coup in that country. True or False
False
In spite of the fact that Japan has behaved as an aggressor nation up until the end of World War II, it steadfastly avoided civilian targets. True or False
False
General MacArthur banned unions and union organizing during the Japanese occupation for fear of the spread of communism. True or False
False
For the first time in Japanese history women were given the right to vote during the U.S. occupation. True or False
True
Despite Article 9 of the Japanese constitution permanently creating a pacifist nation and renouncing war, the Self-Defense Forces have grown into one of the largest and best-equipped military forces in the world. True or False
True
The experience of the 1960 political crisis taught the LDP to avoid tackling controversial issues and concentrate on economic problems. True or False
True
On March 11, 2011 Japan was hit by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in human history of a magnitude of: a) 7.2, b) 8.1, c) 9.0, d) 9.8
c) 9.0
How many people lost their lives because of the major earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011? a) 13,000, b) 16,000, c) 18,000, d) 21,000
d) 21,000
The nation of Japan consists of some 6,850 islands with a territory that is slightly smaller than: Arizona, b) California, c) Florida, d) Oregon
b) California
Japan is about the tenth most populous country in the world with a population of about: a) 127 million people, b) 156 million people, c) 205 million people, d) 260 million people
a) 127 million people
What percent of Japan’s population live in about 450 cities? a) 67%, b) 73%, c) 85%, d) 94%
c) 85%
What percent of Japan’s land is arable? a) 10%, b) 13%, c) 20%, d) 23%
b) 13%
Japan’s name comes from Chinese characters and is often referred to as the Land of the Rising: a) Sun , b) Earth, c) Moon, d) Light.
a) Sun
The title, meaning general, assumed by a succession of hereditary leaders of the three
military dynasties that ruled Japan one after another from the late twelfth century to the mid-nineteenth century: a) Tokugawa, b) Genro, c) Kyoto, d) Shogun
d) Shogun
Giant holding companies in pre–World War II Japan, each owned by and under the control of members of a particular family: a) taisho, b) zaibatso, c) seiyukai, d) kenseito
b) zaibatso
A belief system about the moral foundations of the political and social order based on a reverence for one’s ancestors and submission to authority: a) Confucianism, b) Monism, c) Shamonism, d) Humanism
a) Confucianism
The native religion of Japan is: a) Confucianism, b) Buddhism, c) Hinduism, d) Shinto
d) Shinto
In the early seventeenth century, a warlord named Tokugawa Ieyasu established a military government called shogunate that lasted: a) 135 years, b) 175 years, c) 200 years, d) 265 years
d) 265 years
During the Tokugawa dynasty, all local lords were required to visit Edo and visit with the shogun every few years which resulted in: a) keeping these feudal lords wealthy and independent, b) keeping these feudal lords poor and subservient, c) limiting the power of the central government, d) keeping the shogun leader in check with better monitoring and surveillance of his activities.
b) keeping these feudal lords poor and subservient
The ruling class during the Tokugawa shogunate period of Japan: a) the nobility, b) the artisans, c) the bushi, d) the merchants.
c) the bushi
What event precipitated the 1868 revolution that toppled the Tokugawa regime in Japan? a) it was too top-heavy with corrupt government bureaucrats that refused to give stipends to the existing shogun, b) the emperor was assassinated by local samurai, angering the people, c) Shintoism had required a transition to a new governing system, d) the forcible entry of a small flotilla of American warships that forced the shogun to capitulate.
d) the forcible entry of a small flotilla of American warships that forced the shogun to capitulate
In 1925, what significant change occurred in Japan as a consequence of a law passed by the House of Representatives? a) universal suffrage was achieved, b) the tax requirement to vote was removed, c) women were given equal status with men, including the right to elected office, d) prohibition was established, like the United States.
b) the tax requirement to vote was removed
“Showa,” means: a) enlightened peace, b) reflective dynasty, c) gifted rainbow, d) tranquil rain.
a) enlightened peace
Why did Japan withdraw from the League of Nations in 1933? a) Because Japan was not allowed to vote in the Security Council, b) Because of the expulsion of Nazi Germany, c) Because of Japan’s refusal to sign a chemical warfare treaty, d) Because of the League’s condemnation of Japan for invading northern China.
d) Because of the League’s condemnation of Japan for invading northern China.
In 1936 and 1937, Japan entered into a defensive military alliance with the following nations: a) the United States & Great Britain, b) Germany & Italy, c) France & Spain, d) Poland & Austria.
b) Germany & Italy
Why did the Japanese government attack Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? a) The Japanese had intercepted messages that the United States was planning an attack, b) The British and the U.S. had initiated a series of military maneuvers in Indochina to counter Japanese influence, c) Washington led an international embargo of fuel and raw materials that threatened Japan’s survival, d) General Tojo believed that the United States was a weak country, unwilling to fight when provoked.
c) Washington led an international embargo of fuel and raw materials that threatened Japan’s surviva
Although the Occupation of Japan was formally a joint operation by the victorious Allies, in practice: a) the occupation was American led almost single-handedly by General Douglas MacArthur, b) the occupation was dominated by the British, feeling that they alone had a better appreciation of Japanese culture and history, c) it was a combination of U.S. and British control over the island, d) the United States and the Soviet Union cooperated in monitoring and rebuilding Japan.
a) the occupation was American led almost single-handedly by General Douglas MacArthur
In the first year and half of U.S. occupation of Japan, what were its two primary goals? a) rebuild the infrastructure and extract capital, b) demilitarize and democratize, c) reconstitute the military and end the underground corruption, d) strengthen the unions and ransack the factories.
b) demilitarize and democratize
After Japan’s defeat and during the U.S. occupation, the government bureaucracy was: a) dismantled and seriously weakened, b) left largely in tact and actually gained power and prestige, c) an institution that never had much of a role because of the authoritarian nature of the previous government, d) was transferred out of Tokyo and into the countryside.
b) left largely in tact and actually gained power and prestige
In the election of 1947, which of the following Japanese political parties won by a slim plurality in the Diet elections? a) the Liberal Democratic Party, b) the Democratic Party, c) the Progressive Party, d) the Socialist Party.
d) the Socialist Party
The following Japanese political party held a majority or plurality in the Diet, and thus monopolistic control of the government from 1955 until the early 1990s: a) the Liberal Democratic Party, b) the Social Democratic Party, c) the Social Democratic Union, d) the Progressive Republican Party.
a) the Liberal Democratic Party
What was the major political crisis that arose in 1960 that resulted in Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and his cabinet having to resign? a) the complete demilitarization of Japan by the removal of American military bases, b) the revising of the Mutual Security Treaty that made Japan a military ally of the United States, c) the amending of the Japanese Constitution, creating SEATO and a military alliance among Asian neighbors, d) the creation of the Security Pact of Asia which allows Japan to develop nuclear weapons.
b) the revising of the Mutual Security Treaty that made Japan a military ally of the United States
Japan’s political system can be described:
a) as a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ democracy b) and \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ monarchy, c) in which the emperor is merely a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ of national \_\_\_\_\_\_.
a) parliamentary
b) constitutional
c) symbol, unity
The Japanese upper house (House of Councilors):
a) has 242 members elected for \_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_ terms. b) \_\_\_\_\_ of the members are elected every three years. c) One hundred forty-six are elected from \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_ prefecture-wide districts; d) \_\_\_ are elected nationally by a party list proportional representation method
a) Six-year
b) Half
c) multiple-seat
d) 96
The Japanese lower house (House of Representatives)
a) has \_\_\_\_ members elected for four-year terms, which may be shortened by the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ of the house. b) Three hundred lower house members are elected from \_\_\_\_\_\_\_-\_\_\_\_\_ constituencies; c) 180 are elected by party list proportional representation from \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ regional electoral districts.
a) 480, dissolution
b) single-seat
c) eleven
Under the 1889 Meiji Constitution, the emperor retained the power:
a) to approve and issue all \_\_\_\_\_; b) open, close, and adjourn the \_\_\_\_\_; c) and declare war, make peace, and conclude \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.
a) laws
b) Diet
c) international treaties
The new Japanese constitution:
a) gave the ________ a purely symbolic role, while naming the people as the __________ of the state.
b) it made the bicameral Diet the state’s sole ____-_______ body
c) with all of its members to be _________ ________ by the people, including members of the upper house.
a) emperor, sovereign
b) law-making
c) directly elected
