World War II

By Kotta
  • Unequal Treaties

    Unequal Treaties
    United States and Japan sign Treaty of Kanagawa. Japan must open five ports to American trade. Americans can live in port cities, but did not have to obey Japanese laws. Paid very smalll tax on imported items; "flooded" Japan with cheap products.
  • Commodore Perry

    Commodore Perry
    Commodore Perry arrives in Japan and forces Japan to open its ports to American ships to resupply. United States also demanded Japan to begin trading. (Gunboat Diplomacy)
  • Meiji Restoration

    Meiji Restoration
    Emperor Meiji restored as supreme ruler of Japan. Japan begins modernization- new army, sent people to study in foreign countries, developed technology (trains, ships, telegraph)
  • Meiji Constitution

    Meiji Constitution
    Emperor restored to most powerful. State Shinto religion. New lnad laws.People elected a Congress (Diet).
  • Sino Japanese War

    Sino Japanese War
    Japan and China fought over the Liaotung Peninsula (Port Arthur) and Taiwan. They were useful for ports, and both countries wanted the land. Japan won, and acquired the land.
  • Russo-Japanese War (more of Manchuria)

    Russo-Japanese War (more of Manchuria)
    Russia took Port Arthur from Japan, and the war was fought. Japan defeated Russia, and Japan remained a very powerful country. Japan was angry, because Russia did not pay Japan reparations payments.
  • WWI

    WWI
    War begins between to alliances in Europe. Japan sides with UK, France, Italy, US, Russia. Japan emerged as only industrialized country in the East. Japan fought for ports in China, and islands in the Pacific. The Allies won, and Japan took the land.
  • Japan invades Manchuria

    Japan invades Manchuria
    Japan invades the Manchuria area in search of resources and control of land, Chiang Kai-shek opposes the invaders.
  • US and Japan

    US and Japan
    US and Japan are competing for same resources, and Japan is depending on US for most of it. FDR and Congress are upset over the trade.
  • Japan and Its Government

    Japan and Its Government
    A non- aggression treaty between Germany and Soviet Union. Soviet Union is a threat to Japan's expansion planis in the east. In Japan, a moderate government took over. Germany (Nazis) invades Europe. Militant leaders overthrew Japan's moderate government.Tokyo demanded that Britain close the Burma Road to China.
  • Roosevelt and Japan

    Nazi Germany attacks Soviet Union. Roosevelt takes control of all Japanese money in the US, brings armed forces of Philippines under American command, and closes the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping. America and Japan are very close to war.
  • Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor
    Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, sinking ships and killing thousands of a Americans. President Roosevelt then declares war on Japan.
  • Bataan Death March

    Bataan Death March
    Japanese troops force Philippean and American to march 65 miles to internment camps.
  • Doolittle Raid

    Doolittle Raid
    General Doolitlle forms troops to bomb 5 Japanese cities. Their small jets used aircraft carriers to fly over Japan, then crash land in China. Some of the soldiers were captured and killed, some were kept in camps, and some may have escaped.
  • Battle of the Coral Sea

    Battle of the Coral Sea
    Japan and USboth lose one aircraft.
  • Battle of Midway

    Battle of Midway
    Americans intercept Japanese code messages. US ambushes Japanese Navy; Americans defeat "cream" of Japanese Navy (their very best pilots). This is a turning point in the war in the Pacific.
  • Battle of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands)

    Battle of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands)
    Thousands of lives lost on both sides' indicator of number of American/Japanese lives that would be lost in the war.
  • Hiroshima

    Hiroshima
    United States drops bomb on Hiroshima.