Empire of Japan

The  (Japanese : 大日本帝國) also known as **Imperial Japan** was a historical Nation State and great power during the period from the Meiji Restoration to the Japanese defeat in World War II. It ruled the Home Islands of Japan and many other areas. The Emperors during this time, were Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito), from 1868-1912 and Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) from 1912-1926 and Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from 1926-1989. It is considered to go from the year 1868 to 1945. Hirohito was still emperor of Japan after the empire dissolved in 1947. Hirohito was emperor of Japan until his death in 1989.

In those years, Japan changed greatly. It became one of the great power<nowiki/>s of the world.  Japan built a powerful Imperial Japanese Armed Forces (IJA and IJN), and changed from an agricultural to an industrial society.  The Japanese began to invade and occupy other near countries like Korea, Taiwan, Manchukuo and part of China to get natural resources.

The Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies on September 2, 1945, after a long war against the Allied nations of World War II ending with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The Allies occupied the country and made many changes, including a new constitution.  Allied occupation and reconstruction of the country continued well into the 1950s.

## Other websites

- Imperial Japan
- Death of the Father: Hirohito & Imperial Japan

## References

- Notes

## Infobox (former country)

- **conventional long name**: Empire of Japan
- **life span**: 1868–1947
- **year start**: 1868
- **year end**: 1947
- **date start**: 3 January
- **date end**: 3 May
- **event start**: Meiji Restoration
- **event end**: Constitution of Japan, Reconstituted
- **event1**: Meiji Constitution
- **date event1**: 11 February 1889
- **event2**: First Sino-Japanese War
- **date event2**: 25 July 1894
- **event3**: Russo-Japanese War
- **date event3**: 8 February 1904
- **event4**: World War I
- **date event4**: 23 August 1914
- **event5**: Mukden Incident
- **date event5**: 18 September 1931
- **date event6**: 7 July 1937
- **event7**: World War II
- **date event7**: 7 December 1941
- **event8**: Surrender of Japan
- **date event8**: 2 September 1945
- **image flag**: Flag of Japan (1870–1999).svg
- **p2**: Ezo Republic
- **flag p2**: Seal_of_Ezo.svg
- **flag type**: Flag
- **flag type article**: Flag of Japan
- **image coat**: Imperial Seal of Japan.svg
- **symbol type**: Imperial Seal
- **symbol type article**: Imperial Seal of Japan
- **p1**: Tokugawa shogunate
- **flag p1**: Flag of the Tokugawa Shogunate.svg
- **s1**: Occupation of JapanOccupied Japan
- **flag s1**: Flag of Allied Occupied Japan.svg
- **border s1**: no
- **image map**: Japanese Empire (orthographic projection).svg
- **image map caption**: The Empire of Japan at its peak in 1942:
- **national anthem**: (1869–1945) <div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">"His Imperial Majesty's Reign"
</div>
- **official languages**: Japanese language, Japanese
- **government type**: Unitary state, Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy
(1889–1947) (_de jure_)
Unitary state, Unitary Imperial cult, divine theocracy, theocratic absolute monarchy
(_de facto_)
*under Daijō-kan
(1868–1885)
*under a Toseiha military dictatorship
(1931–1940)
*under a Fascism, fascist Statism in Shōwa Japan, Shōwa Statist totalitarian military dictatorship
(1940–1945)
*under Allied occupation of Japan, military occupation
 (1945–1947)
- **title leader**: List of Emperors of Japan#Emperors of Japan, Emperor
- **leader1**: Emperor Meiji, Meiji
- **year leader1**: 1868–1912
- **leader2**: Emperor Taishō, Taishō
- **year leader2**: 1912–1926
- **leader3**: Hirohito, Shōwa
- **year leader3**: 1926–1947
- **title deputy**: List of Prime Ministers of Japan#Empire of Japan (1868–1947), Prime Minister
- **deputy1**: Itō Hirobumi
- **year deputy1**: 1885–1888 (first)
- **deputy2**: Shigeru Yoshida
- **year deputy2**: 1946–1947 (last)
- **legislature**: None (rule by decree) (1868-1871)
House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers (1871-1889)
National Diet#History, Imperial Diet (since 1889)
- **house1**: House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers (1889-1947)
- **house2**: House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (from 1890)
- **stat year1**: 1938
- **stat area1**: 1984000
- **stat year2**: 1920
- **stat year3**: 1940
- **stat pop2**: 77,700,000<sup>a</sup>
- **stat pop3**: 105,200,000<sup>b</sup>
- **footnote a**: 56.0 million lived in Japanese archipelago, Japan proper.
- **footnote b**: 73.1 million lived in Japanese archipelago, Japan proper.
- **stat area4**: 7400000
- **stat year4**: 1942


## Infobox (chinese)

- **title**: Japanese Empire
- **katakana**: ダイニッポンテイコク
ダイニホンテイコク
- **hiragana**: だいにっぽんていこく
だいにほんていこく
- **l**: Eastern Capital
- **revhep**: Dai Nippon Teikoku
Dai Nihon Teikoku