Imperial Japan

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/tokufall.h

Jan 1, 1800

The Qing Dynasty of Manchus was at the height of its power. Also, by this time, Europeans had been in touch with China for over two hundred years. They had a small outlet they were allowed to trade in called the Guangshou. The British were in debt, and in order to pay China back, they started importing Opium. Most people in China at this time were farmers. Also, the Tokugawa shogunate had been ruling the Japanese islands for two hundred years.

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/ends/opening.htm

Mar 4, 1853

In March of 1853, the rebels seized the second largest city of the empire, Nanjung. They killed 25,000 men, women, and children. For ten years, the revolt continued, but gradually fell apart. Commodore Perry arrived in Japan. The United States was the first foreign power to succeed with Japan. He arrived in Edo Bay.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-capture-russian-naval-base-at-port-arthur

Jan 22, 1858

The Treaty of Tianjin was signed in 1858. The Chinese agreed to legalize the opium trade, as well as surrendering the Kowloon Peninsula to Great Britain. U.S. consul Townsend Harris signed a more detailed treaty. This treaty called for several new ports to be opened for U.S. trade and residence, as well as the exchange of ministers.

ttp://books.google.com/books?id=dVQFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA554&lpg=PA554&dq=Sat-Cho+1863&source=bl&ots=nf68v0GdqK&sig=xfOgp0Gr-dQu9e9JmIg8u3WPj4o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7UrhUt6ZIMS_kQe4pYC4Cw&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Sat-Cho%201863&f=false

May 22, 1863

The Sat-Cho alliance forced the shogun to promise to end relations with the West.

http://www.history.com/topics/meiji-restoration

Jan 28, 1868

Meiji Restoration Began. The Sat-Cho armies attacked at the shogun's palace in Kyoto and proclaimed that the authority of the emperor had been restored. The new leaders signed a Charter Oath, where they promised to make a new legislative assembly within the framework of continued imperial rule.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-japanese-constitution-

Dec 18, 1889

The 75 prefectures that the country had been divided into was reduced to 45, which is what it is now. The Meiji constitution was adopted and modeled after the one in Imperial Germany. The executive branch had the most power. Traditional values were given a firm legal basis in the 1889 constitution, which limited the right to vote to men. The Tokyo School of Fine Arts was established to promote traditional Japanese art.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-russo-japanese-war-begins

Jul 14, 1904

Ba Jin was born. He the author of numerous novels and short stories and was one of China's foremost writers at the turn of the century. Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian naval base at Port Arthur, which Russia took from China in 1898. This showed the strengthening Japan and its navy.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/russo-japanese-peace-treaty-signed

Jan 22, 1905

Sun Yat-sen formed a Revolutionary Alliance in China. He issued a reform program. A convention in Tokyo, Sun united radical groups from across China and formed the Revolutionary Alliance, which later became The Nationalist Party. The government abolished the civil service examinations. Japan defeated Russia. Russia agreed to humiliating peace, and gave the Liaodong Peninsula back to Japan and the southern part of Sakhalin. The U.S. saw Japan's role in Korea.

http://www.history.com/topics/gentlemens-agreement

Aug 2, 1907

President Theodore Roosevelt mase a "gentlemen's agreement" with Japan that stopped Japanese immigration to the United States.

http://www.history.com/news/what-you-need-to-know-about-north-korea

Aug 8, 1910

Japan annexed Korea. Elections for a National Assembly were held.