History of Japan

Japan has a rich and interesting historical background. The Japanese civilization that has the evidence of being in existence in the early age of the Palaeolithic era, had come across umpteen number of other ages that have molded and characterized the history of Japan in a very interesting way. In the history of Japan one can see the influences of not only different ages but also several monarchies that had ruled the people of Japan.

History of Japan can be subdivided into certain parts for an easy and better comprehension of the civilization, its people, cultures and trends. They show that Japan has a rich history and cultural heritage that any country can be proud of. The history of Japan can be studied under,

Pre-history of Japan Japan in Ancient and Classical age Feudal Era in Japan Meiji Era and its Restoration World War I World War II Japan during and after military control on it.

Pre-history of Japan : In the prehistorical age of Japan there can be two main era found. One is the Jomon era and the other is Yayoi era. The term Jomon means pattern of plaited cord and some of the earliest evidence of pottery are found belonging to this era . The other period, Yayoi was a little improved and people knew weaving, better way of farming, use of iron and bronze.

Japan in Ancient and Classical Age : In this whole period Japan can be subdivided under four other periods. These are, Kofun period, Asuka period, Nara period and the Heian period. Under all these eras Japan went through a number of developments and traits.

Feudal Era in Japan : Japan in the feudal period also went through some other subdivisions of ages . These are, Kamakura, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama and the Edo age. In feudal Japan the strong military rule that got a firm foundation during the Ancient and Classical historical period, continued with the aid of powerful regional rulers.

The other periods in the history of Japan have several subdivisions and monarchies within them, providing Japan with a varied and colorful pattern of historical heritages .



Japan nurtured high ambitions of conquering the world and being a world power since the early 1900's. A trend was suddenly noticed where Japan's hunger for power over vast stretches of land increased and the nation set out to conquer the world with the belief that they were born to rule. A strong will-force worked within the Japanese army and it could be perceived that they were more than willing to sacrifice their lives for their country in the war s. These fanatic faiths and beliefs had in the very beginning given rise to the Sino-Japanese war in 1894 which lasted till 1895. The Japanese gain from this first Sino-Japanese war was the control of the territory of Korea and acquiring the Liaodong peninsula for a naval base. But ultimately a conflict with the Russians over the control of Liaodong peninsula implanted the seeds of the Russo-Japanese war that would start with the turn of the century in 1904 and continue for 1 whole year uptil 1905.

The Russian government entered the war with the strong belief that they would defeat Japan but little did they realize how son they would exhaust their resources by persevering with an army that would decline to give in. Intelligent and quick actions on the part of the Japanese army gave them many smaller victories within the whole course of the war and eventually weakened the Baltic army. It was not until a year was over that both sides realized that they had gained nothing from the war and the war was brought to a close with the mutual treaty of cease-fire signed in New Hampshire. The war put the position of the Czar in question and Russia was forced to transfer the control of Korea to Japan along with the Trans-Siberian Railway. The war had finally established Japan as a world power.

Before the beginning of the WWII the Japanese had entered another war with Chinese known as the Second Sino- Japanese War which lasted over the years from 1931 to 1945 and Japan's inclusion into the WWII was predicted by this war. The war started with Japanese intentions of conquering Chinese territory and they first attacked Manchuria. Gaining full possession of Manchuria the Japanese army progressed northward into Shanghai and after a bloody encounter with Mao Zedong's armies Japan was successful in gaining control of Shanghai and Nanjing. With the capture of Wuhan in 1938 the Japanese army gained enough confidence to attack the Pearl Harbor which was under US control in 1941.

The attack on Pearl harbor forced China and USA to unify with the allies and wage war against Japan and hence, the move forced Japan to enter into WWII. Japan surrendered unconditionally after the atomic bomb droppings over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and accepted their defeat in the hands of the allies with the treaty of Potsdam. The post-war periods saw American troops infiltrating into Japan and for some years after that they retained control of the Japanese archipelago.