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Meji Restoration
The Meji Restoration begins and ushers in a period of intense development and modernization -
Imperial Rescript on Education
The Imperial Rescript on Education is issued. This document is
distributed to all schools. It emphasizes civic responsibility and imperial loyalty as the moral basis for education. It will be displayed together with a portrait of the emperor and read on ceremonial occasions until its repudiation in 1948 -
1st Sino Japanese War
War between Japan and the ailing Qing Dynasty breaks out over influence in Korea. -
Treaty of Shimonoseki
Treaty of Shimonoseki on 17 April 1895, marking a shift from Chinese to Japanese regional dominance. Japan becomes the dominant forcing China to cede its influence in Korea and receives Taiwan, along with a large cash indemnity. -
Open Door Policy is Announced
The Open Door Policy is announced by US Secretary of State
John Hay in a note to the major European powers. The policy proposed to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis, keeping any one power from total control of the country. -
Russo Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War breaks out. It ends with the Treaty of Portsmouth being signed in 1905. -
Japan enters World War I
23 August - Japan enters World War I on the side of the Entente powers and in support of its ally, Britain. Japanese forces besieged German holdings in China and the Pacific, ending with surrender of Tsingtao on 7 November. -
Paris Peace Talks
The Paris Peace talks begin Japan lays claim to Shandong province in China and Germany colonies in North Pacific including the
Mariana, Marshall, and Caroline islands. -
Racial Equality Clause Nixed
Japan proposed the inclusion of a Racial Equality Clause in the
covenant of the League of Nations, but due to British and Australian opposition the proposal was shelved. This incited Japanese nationalism a marked move away from internationalism. -
Japanese Communist Party Founded
15 July - Japanese Communist Party established and immediately persecuted, operating as a clandestine underground organization after it was outlawed in 1924. Fear of communism was based on the Party's opposition to the Emperor and zaibatsu. Communism would continue to be used as a pretext by ultra nationalists to clamp down on greater democratic freedoms throughout the 1920s. -
Washington Naval Conference/5 Power Treaty
12 November - The Washington Naval Conference takes place which continued until 6 February 1922. The Naval Conference produced The Five-Power Treaty, signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Italy. It called for each of the countries involved to maintain a set ratio of warship tonnage which ultimately adopted the 5(US):5(US):3(Japan) ratio limits. Japan resented taking a backseat to the US and Britain and viewed it as yet another slight. -
Johnson Reed Act
The US Immigration Act or Johnson-Reed Act was passed in the US which outright banned all Asian and Japanese immigration. Japanese media decried the bill and it was viewed as another racial provocation by the West. -
Universal Male Suffrage Introduced.
5 May - The General Election Law introduces universal male suffrage which increased the voter base to 12 million voters. The huge increase in the electorate increased the cost of campaigning, forcing many parties into corrupt financial arrangements with the zaibatsu which only served to inflame anti-democratic
rhetoric within Japan. -
Hirohito Ascends to the Throne
Hirohito becomes the 124th Emperor of Japan. He will reign until 1989. -
Mukden/Invasion of Manchuria
The Mukden Incident/ Invasion of Manchuria - Planned by Lieutenant General Ishiwara Kanji of the Kwantung Army , a bomb was exploded in Manchuria on the Japanese-owned South Manchurian Railways, giving a pretext for its takeover. -
Manchuko founded.
The "independent" state of Manchuko is proclaimed. In reality it is a Japanese puppet state set up by the Kwantung Army. -
The Lytton Report.
After a year of investigation, the Lytton Report was published condemning Japanese aggression and insisting on withdrawal of Japanese troops. The League accepts Lytton Report, prompting Japan to walk out. -
Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge
7 July - The Marco Polo Bridge Incident leads to the Japanese Invasion of China. -
FDR delivers "Quarantine Speech"
Quarantine Speech delivered by President Roosevelt which signified a change in US foreign policy, warning of the dangers of ‘international anarchy and instability’, and calling for a quarantine of aggressor nations. -
The Rape of Nanking
13 December - Japanese forces attack Nanjing . Over the following weeks, the Rape of Nanjing ’sees systematic rape and mass murder inflicted on the civilian population -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor . All eight battleships were damaged, with four sunk. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded. -
The US declares war on Japan
President Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress and secured a declaration of War against Japan.
