1889 – Japan’s First Constitution The Meiji Constitution has Three Tiers: The Emperor on top, the symbol of the state The Privy Council, behind the scenes The Diet, popularly elected It has the power to set budget and levy taxes Oligarchs at the controls, but Power curbed by Diet budgetary powers Political parties appear rapidly Constitution moves Japan closer to acceptance by the world community

Turn-of-the-century Wars Two small but important wars:  Sino-Japanese war of  Russo-Japanese war of Consequences:  Japan finally freed from unequal treaties  Japan becomes a colonial power (Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria)  Patriotism inflamed  the whole country supports Japan’s “sphere of influence”  nation connected by telephone, telegraph

Wars and patriotism The magazine Youth of the World reflects Japan’s growing confidence after the Sino-Japanese war (1894-5).

Patriotism at School A page from a first grade reader, 1918, which reads: "Kiguchi Kohei was struck by an enemy bullet, but even in death, his bugle never fell from his mouth." First soldiers enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine after the Russo-Japanese War

Patriotism in the Media Hideyoshi congratulates Itō Hirobumi

The Wars and Patriotism A cover of Tokyo Puck Magazine General Terauchi bathed in the light of Amaterasu as he oversees the Korean peninsula

Turn-of-the-century Economics Silk and cotton spinning Women workers More urbanization Developments in Mining heavy industry However…

Hard times in the countryside Farmers exploited, restive Tenancy still high Laborers widely exploited The “dual economy”

The 1920s –Taishō Democracy The era of “party politics” The Privy council can no longer hold off the Diet Compromise is struck with a series of “Party Prime Ministers” such as Hara Kei Assassinations continue As the Meiji constitutional system collapses the military steps in

The 1920s –Taishō Democracy Other Aspects: Universal male suffrage The “Peace Preservation” laws Socialism crushed Population growth: 55 million in 1920 Persistent divide between rich and poor Continuing urbanization and industrialization

Urban Fashion – 1920s Urban Japanese followed international fashion trends “modern girl” or moga “modern boy” or mobo

Depression and Militarism – the 1930s The Meiji constitutional system collapses The global depression hits Japan hard The military steps into the vacuum The Manchurian, or Mukden, incident the Manchukuo puppet regime Attempted military coup, 2/26/1936 Marco Polo Bridge incident, 1937 Japan’s incursion into China begins

The Pacific War

The US response  The US and other Western Nations embargo Japan in response  But this only serves to justify further Japanese advances in Southeast Asia.

Japan as protector of Asia The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The expulsion of the West The “A B C D” powers

Pacific War statistics Chinese civilians killed at Nanjing: ~80, ,000 Japanese civilians killed in the firebombing of Tokyo: ~80, ,000 Deaths in Okinawa: 62,500 A-bomb deaths ~180,000

Homefront war production Mitsubishi aircraft plant

Homefront production Exhortation to increase production of staple foods in support of the war effort

WWII – Japan’s Homefront Women exhorted to support the war effort Woman as compassionate Kannon

Homefront war support The various measures taken to aid the war effort

Education and Propaganda Children at Naka- Meguro school, Tokyo Pledging allegiance to the Imperial Rescript on Education and imperial regalia Imperial Rescript on Education

Wartime “fashion” Women in mompe during wartime

Wartime political commentary “sweep away ‘Westernisms’ like dandruff out of hair”

WWII – Japan’s Homefront Posters from the “Spiritual Mobilization” Committee

WWII – the US and Japan Negative portrayals of Japanese

Conclusions Japan fell into war as a result of: Social, political, and economic turmoil in the first half of the 20th century Unwise foreign adventurism – following the Western colonial model An inability to keep its military in check Even today, Japan has not officially fully confronted its wartime past.