Effects Of Japanese Imperialism

Imperialism of the ‘Enlightened’ Nation The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended imperialistic goals of Japan and plunged the nation into a time period of instability and need for recovery. This left Japan’s land virtually destroyed, its economy handicapped and its people either mentally scarred or dead in result of its attempt to expand and control the four corners of the world. Many would say that this is one of multiple reasons as to why imperialism had an overall negative effect on Japan. However to me, this just goes to prove that the saying, ‘all good things must come to an end’, is relatable and accurate and in fact, the imperialistic attempt of Japan to control the world was actually a good thing for the nation. Under
rule by Emperor Meiji, Japan entered the Meiji Restoration and prospered in various battles and wars including the first Sino-Japanese War, the Russo- Japanese War, the invasion of Manchuria and the second Sino-Japanese War. These victories threw Japan into a time period in which its economy flourished, its military became nearly invincible and its people became immensely prideful as a sense of nationalism began to grow amongst them. Although this conquest of expansion ended with detrimental losses caused by the aftermath of World War II, imperialism conclusively benefited the nation.
Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan followed a strict policy of isolationism in which they remained to themselves and disregarded all other foreign affairs. Sticking to the status quo, Japan continued in following traditional, more simplistic-like ideals and political structures under the Tokugawa Shogunate (Japan, ‘Meiji Reostaration’). Under this Shogunate, the nation followed a system of feudalism and remained so for hundreds of years. Under feudalism, the noble persons, known more familiarly as lords, would hold a piece of land from the nation and have less wealthy people, known as peasants, work on the land in exchange for military services and protection(‘Feudalism’). Idealistically, having 24/7 military protection in exchange for labor services wouldn’t seem too bad; if only this military consisted of more than a few men with sharp swords. Seeing how weak and militarily impeded Japan actually was, in 1853, the United States sent a small fleet of naval warships commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan seeking to forcefully open up trade and break their way of isolationism(‘Japan/Meiji Restoration’). In the midst of easily being overtaken, Japan folded and was forced to open trade to the more superior United States. Acknowledging how advanced the United States were, Japan set out to better themselves in attempt to compete with not only the United States, but other dominant nations as well. This time period in which Japan faced these vast series of improvements in attempt to modernize would ultimately stand to be known as the Meiji Restoration. Starting around the late 1860’s and ending around the early 1900’s, Japan entered this era in which it underwent major reforms and modifications to their economic, political, social and militaristic aspects. Named after Emperor Meiji, the Meiji Restoration changed Japan from a more agricultural country, to an industrialized nation. Following western ways, swords were replaced with high powered guns, canoes replaced with strong war vessels and feudalism replaced with an actual form of government known as The Government of Meiji Japan (‘Meiji Government’). Now known as the Imperial Japan Army and the Imperial Japan Navy, Japan’s newly modified forces gave off a feel of intimidation. This time period not only improved their armed forces, but also sparked their economy as items were easily and quickly made at a low cost due to the introduction of machines and industrialization. Being more technologically and politically advanced, a new feeling also emanated among the people as they felt more prideful in themselves and how they were coming along.
Satisfied with their advancements and how they’ve come along, the people of Japan felt a sense of fulfillment which was brought upon by Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a modern name given to various theories of society that emerged in the United Kingdom, North America, and Western Europe in the 1870s, and which are claimed to have applied biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology and politics (‘Social Darwinism’). More simply stated, this term originated from the studies of Charles Darwin in his development of his theory of natural selection; referring to how the stronger animal survived vast conditions and carried on their species. Applied to the social aspect, this just goes to say that the people of Japan believed that their race was far more superior to every other race and they were the best to reside on planet Earth. Pertaining to me, you and everyone else, this doesn’t sound quite pleasurable but in regards to Japan, this was a unifying force among the people. This emotion of superiority can be noticed in the quote by Yukichi Fukuzawa, which states, "We shall someday raise the national power of Japan so that not only shall we control the natives of China and India as the English do today, but we shall also possess in our hands the power to rebuke the English and to rule Asia ourselves" (Nester 1996, 63). Fueled by the immeasurable advancements as a result of imperialism, the people of Japan were overly confident in themselves and their ways which would result in them entering many wars fearlessly in seek of acquiring huge outcomes that would benefit the nation as a whole.
As a start to Japan's pursuit of a more aggressive stance in foreign policy and territorial expansion, the first Sino-Japanese War proved a huge success to these efforts.
As a huge, everlasting force in Asia, China was always known as the nation not to mess with. Being more advanced in every aspect, this nation was known to be more of the bully than the victim. Nonetheless, this all changed in 1894 when the newly arising force of Japan went head to head with the Asian superpower (‘Sino Japanese War’). As known, Japan lacked many natural resources that were a necessity if it wanted to continue to grow and prosper as a competing super power, so in a venture to gather more natural resources, Japan ignited a dispute with China over the control of Korea. Mistakenly thinking that the Chinese would have an easy victory over the nation Japan, China was put to shame when the much smaller Japan quickly overcame Chinese forces in the Shandong Providence and Manchuria. Ending the War in 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki obligated China to recognize the independence of Korea and ceded with Taiwan, adjoining Pescadores and the Liaodong Peninsula (‘Sino Japanese War’). This allowed Japan to freely trade with Korea and held Korea under control of Japan. In addition to this, China also paid a huge indemnity of 200,000,000 kuping taels and opened trading in China for Japan. The Sino Japanese War proved to be a benefit of imperialism in the fact that it opened up trade for Japan in China and was basically a gateway in the controlling of Korea for its natural
resources.
With one superpower down and out of the way, Japan furthered its conquest of obtaining Korea and Manchuria by trying to flood Russia out. In 1904, Japan and Russian participated in a war over these two pieces of land known as the Russo-Japanese War (‘Russo-Japanese War’). With a series of surprise land attacks on the Liaotung Peninsula, Mukden, Fu-hsien, Liao-yang and naval battles including the Battle of Tsushima, the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy crushed all Russian opposition. Realizing that Japan was better equipped and better militarily led, the Russians went on to signing the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905. With this treaty, Japan’s control over Korea was formally recognized and respected and this dated the first time in modern times that an Asian power had defeated a European power. Also, Japan had gained control over the Liaotung Peninsula, the South Manchurian Railroad and half of the Sakhalin Island. Not only did this war mark history, but it provided Japan with more land in which there were more natural resources available for the nation to properly grow.
Still hungry for more land and opportunities of growth and development, Japan persuaded deeper into China and on 1931, invaded Manchuria. Leading up to this event, Japan had a rapidly growing population. Seeing that they needed more space to deal with this issue, they felt that invading Manchuria was ideal in the fact that it provided many natural resources as well as land for the growing population (‘Manchuria 1931’). As well as the problem of a rapidly growing population, Japan was hit with the Great Depression in 1929. The armed forces thought of the civilian government as weak due to its inability to control the depression and turn it around. With mixed feelings of their government and the problem of population, to Japan, it seemed right to invade Manchuria and so they did just that. Swiftly knocking back Chinese resistance, Japan captured Manchuria and left patrols guarding the region. Quenching their needs, this battle proved that the Japanese superpower could not be stopped and that if they wanted something, they could very well get it.
Beginning what would be the largest Asian war of the 20th century and the start of World War II for Japan, the second Sino-Japanese War was underway in 1937. Stemming from the tension and hostility of Japanese military conquests in China, China bounced back with a full-on scale of resistance (‘Sino-Japanese War’). Being more of a tyrant, Japan had pushed into conquering China piece by piece in a combination of attacks and battles. In December of 1937, Japan had launched an attack on Nanking in China. Known as the ‘Raping of Nanking’, the Imperial Japanese Army had murdered and/or raped around 300,000 Chinese civilians. Fed up with the dictating nation, Japan, China sought to gain help from Allies in overthrowing Japan and regaining its territory. Being that Japan had conquered lads from the French in the French-Indochina war and land from the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War, it wasn’t a coincidence that France and Russia had joined in on the fight, as well as the United Kingdom. With these great nations going at each other in attempt to gain and benefit, the United States tried to remain as neutral as possible until the Japanese gave them an invitation into the war by bombing the port of Pearl Harbor without warning or declaration of war. Caught in the fire of many nations, Japan would soon see the day that imperialism would end for them.
In retaliation to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States had entered World War II. Pushing back Japanese forces in a series of joint attacks known as the Normandy Invasions on June 6, 1944, famously known as ‘D-Day’, the United States had corned Japanese forces and held them by the throat. Refusing to surrender as a probable result of their overly confident government, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan; one in Hiroshima and the other in Nagasaki. Ending World War II in 1945 by the surrender of the Japanese government, the War II had left a huge impact on Japan that not only knocked them into a cruel time period but ended their conquest to control the four corners of the world. In conclusion of the War, Japan was no longer the victor and being so, they had to give up all the land they had acquired during their imperial times (‘Post War History’). Imperialism for Japan was abruptly hated and forever over, however they gained more than one could have expected from this experience.
Commencing around the late 1860’s, Japan had begun its own conquest of imperialism that would affect the nation as a whole in a positive way. Reconstructing itself from a political, economic and social point of view, Japan had placed itself on the right path to becoming a leading and dominant power in the entire world, particularly Asia. By conducting many battles and wars, Japan gained control of many lands that added to its size and power. In correspondence to doing to, they also gained control of many natural resources that helped the nation in growing its army, navy, sense of nationalism and modernizing along with the rest of the world. If the United States hadn’t forced its way into Japan, then Japan would have remained to itself in a world of medieval times and would most likely be associated as a ‘Third World Country’ likewise Africa. Although Japanese Imperialism ended with a bang, they learned and gained so much that the repercussions don’t even hinder the amount of accomplishments that they gained and that goes to prove that Japanese Imperialism was a positive effect on the nation as a whole.