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"Blackship" Opens in Japan
Japan was a closed society. To keep out "dangerous influences," such as European missionaries, foreign ships weren't allowed to enter Japanese ports. Japanese people weren't allowed to leave or to have any contact with the outside world. Then, in 1853, a small fleet of American warships steamed into the bay at Edo (now Tokyo). The "black ships," had come to open trade with other nations. Threatened by the big warships, Japan signed a trade treaty with the U.S. -
Japan: a Strong and Independent nation
In the 1860s the ruling shogun was overthrown, and a 15-year-old emperor named Mutsuhito took the throne. He chose the name Meiji. By the end of the nineteenth century the nation had a new political system with a parliament and a constitution, a modern army and navy, and growing industries.The new Japan understood that being a strong and prosperous nation was the only way to preserve its independence and unique culture.Japan adopt Western culture and technology and to make Japan strong. -
America becomes a Pacific Power
As a democratic nation that began as a group of colonies, the U.S. felt that it could make do with the rich land and resources within its borders. It wasn't until the late 1800s that influential Americans began to argue that the U.S. should follow the example of Britain, France, European nations in gaining colonies overseas. These "imperialists" believed that America needed overseas bases for its navy and markets for the goods being produced in factories and on farms. -
The Great Depression
The 1929 New York Stock Exchange crash and the failure of important European banks plunged the entire world into an economic depression. Japan was hit especially hard. With practically no natural resources, the nation had to import oil, iron, steel, and other commodities to keep its industry and military forces alive. But to buy these things, it had to export goods for sale abroad. This became harder to do in the early 1930s as nation. -
China in Flames
In 1937, China and Japan went to war. Although Chinese forces resisted, Japan advanced farther and farther into China. The conflict brought great suffering to the Chinese people. In December, Japanese troops captured the city of Nanking (Nanjing). In the month that followed, they massacred as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians. -
The Tripartite Pact
Japan responded to America's actions by joining Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in the Tripartite (three-part) Pact. In this agreement, the two European dictators approved Japan's goal for an Asian empire. The three countries pledged to support one another if any one of them was attacked by the U.S. -
War Warning
In late 1941 Japanese army general Hideki Tojo became the nation's prime minister. A determined leader, Tojo was not afraid to challenge Britain and the U.S. for power in East Asia. The Tojo government leaned toward the navy's approach. Japan began planning for surprise attacks all across the Pacific -- from Hong Kong to Hawaii. -
Day of Infamy
On December 6, the Japanese government began sending a long message to its diplomats in Washington. The last part of that message arrived in the early-morning hours of December 7. Japanese diplomats Nomura and Kurusu prepared for a final meeting with knowing that they were being ordered to break off all negotiations with the U.S. What they didn't realize was that the same message had been decoded and rushed to President Roosevelt.But a warning did not reach Pearl Harbor until nearly 8:00 a.m.