Empire of Japan

## 大日本帝国

Flag of the Empire of Japan

The **Empire of Japan** is a country located in East Asia comprised of the Japanese archipelago, the Korean peninsula and several smaller Pacific islands. It holds a direct administration over various territories, including Taiwan, Hainan and Polynesia, as well as holding several territories in China under Kwantung administrations, namely Fujian, Shanghai and Beijing. Its borders to the west by China, to the north by Manchuria, and to the east and south by the Pacific Ocean.

## History

### Origins & Pre-War (1868 - 1939)

The Meiji Restoration in 1868 marked a period of major political and social change in Japan. The new Meiji government sought to modernize and westernize Japan to compete with the industrialized West. The government abolished the samurai class and embarked on a program of rapid modernization and industrialization.

Japan rapidly modernized over the following decades and became a regional power. The country built up a strong military and navy, expanded its territory through wars with neighboring countries, and established itself as a major player. However, this period of growth and expansion was not without its challenges.

Japan went to war with China in 1894-1895 over control of Korea, which was a decisive victory for Japan. Despite that, it put a strain on Japan's relations with other major powers, particularly Russia, which Japan went to war with over control of Manchuria and Korea in 1904-1905, a major victory that made Japan the first Asian power to defeat a European power in a modern war.

Japan's rise to power also brought with it a growing sense of nationalism and militarism. Many Japanese saw their country as a "divine" nation with a mission to lead Asia against the West. This led to an increasingly aggressive foreign policy and a growing militarization of society. During the Marco Polo bride, which is believed to have been staged by the Japanese, Japan quickly turned a border conflict into a full-scale war against the entire of China.

### Second World War (1939 - 1945)

In 1938, Japan invaded the Republic of China and all warlords within Chinese territory and began a brutal campaign of conquest and colonization that would continue throughout the war.

The Japanese government saw the war as an opportunity to establish a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" under Japanese control, in which Japan would dominate the economies and politics of Asia. The government believed that this would secure Japan's position as a major world power and protect it and Asia from the threat of Western imperialism.

The Tripartite Pact, which marked its alliance with Germany and Italy, had put Japan on a collision course with the United States of America, which was committed to defeating the Axis Powers and protecting its own interests in the Pacific.

In 1942, Japan had given assistante to the major victory over the Soviet Union, culminating in the surrender of the Soviet Union to Germany. This victory gave Japan greater access to resources and territory in Asia, now controlling the territory of Vladistovok. However, it also increased the tensions between Japan and the United States even more.

Tensions between Japan and the United States reached a boiling point. Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack was a devastating blow to the United States, destroying much of its Pacific fleet and killing over 2,400 Americans. It brought the United States into the war, and set the stage for a major conflict between Japan and the United States that would determine the outcome of World War II, looking as if the Allies finally had a chance.

The Japanese army adopted a strategy of speed, being able to quickly seize the Philipines, Malaysia and Indonesia, with Thailand allying itself with Japan and after the conquest of Indochina, conquering Burma with relative ease after India had revolted and Britain was on the brink of surrender. Despite the initial success of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan would ultimately be unable to defeat the United States. Although Japan had gained quite a few major victories, including a surprising victory in the Battle of Midway, The United States launched a counteroffensive, pushing Japan back in a series of hard-fought battles in the Pacific.

However, in 1945, Japan achieved a decisive victory over the United States with the atomic bombing of Hawaii, marking the surrender of the United States and the end of World War II. It had finally emerged as the dominant power in Asia and the Pacific, with control over a vast empire that stretched from Manchuria to Southeast Asia.