Introduction The history of Japan is said to have begun at around 400 AD when family groups in Central and Western Japan were put under a single rule by the Yamato Clan of Kyoto, under the leadership of Yoritomo. From then on, there was influence from China for the next 300 years which led to the Japanese to the establishment of an imperial court in as in China as well as the rise of a distinct class of warriors, the samurai. While the imperial court only existed in relative shadows, the shogun (relative dictator) which was founded by the Minamoto Clan ruled for a period close to 700 years (Reischauer, 105-113). The year 1542 saw the first time that the Japanese came in contact with the West. First were the Portuguese traders, missionaries, and Jesuits ships, which docked on the Japanese coastline. They were later followed by the Dutch, English, and Spanish traders. The Portuguese had an upper hand in Japan. Their strategy to keep on hold the introduction of any foreign religion to the people for the time being, and support a local Japanese revolt in 1603-1667 (The Tokugawa Period) won the locals’ confidence. This in turn led to the shunning of trade with the other foreigners except for the Dutch who were allowed to trade at Nagasaki ( Henshall A., pp. 339-423 ). The other countries (mostly the West) tried so many times to have access into the Japanese soil to no avail, the breakthrough came in the mid 19 th Century. The terms to renew the trade with the West lasted until 1853 when Mathew P. Commodore entered the Tokyo bay and forced some trade terms on Japan…terms that were not at all favorable to the Japanese. Many people did not agree with the terms and the results brought about strife that led to the downfall of the feudal system in 1868, ushering in Emperor Meiji. Meiji abolished the shogun and introduced the constitution (Reischauer, p. 119). The Meiji Restoration A lot of things took place under Emperor Meiji, things that have altered Japanese history and shaped its future a great deal. There were numerous inversions and disputes that led to the expansion of borders as well as the creation of foes and allies from among the Japanese neighborhood. After Meiji had ascended into power, he quickly went down to alter the medieval system to modern power, establishing an imperial army with conscriptions and parliamentary government (the upper house). The emperor managed to form a very strong army and leadership such that none of their neighbors was a threat to them. The Meiji Restoration managed to transform Japan into a world power of Industry (Sugimoto et al, pp. 50-62). In the long run, power got into the leader’s heads prompting a number of military conflicts that were mainly geared to expand the nation’s sphere of influence. And by 1910 they had conquered Taiwan (formally known as Formosa), Southern Manchuria, and Pescadores Island. Another war that lasted for a period of one year and ended in 1904 saw Russia go down; hence Japan expanded its territories into Karafuto and Russia’s Port. The series of inversions continued till the time they attacked the US on 7 th December 2008 (The Pearl Harbor Attack). The offended countries decided to retaliate, with the United States at the forefront. During World War II in 1942, the Japanese were forced to retreat into their own land. The final blow was in 1945 when the US dropped an atomic in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Michae