The End of the Samurai Period, 1868:
Twenty One Demands to China:
Industrialisation of Japan until 1925:
The Role of Zaibatsu in Japan's industrialisation:
The Economic Downturn in the 1920s:
Contributions to Urbanisation:
Consequences of Urbanisation:
- Samurai was an Aristocratic Class which governed Japan since 1185
- - Japan began feeling a threat of Western imperial domination
- - Group of young ambitious reformers wanted to restore direct imperial rule and form a new government to face the western challenge and preserve Japanese Sovereignty
- "Rich Country, Strong Army"
- Formulation of new policies to transform Japanese society in an all out effort to catch up with the West
- Aimed to come up with new political and economic ideas in order to get rid of the old traditions in efforts to modernise Japan and become a strong and united country in not only Asia but the world
-The ‘rich’ term not only means wealthy in terms of money, but also means the amassing of natural resources and increase different productions and industries
- Also, the ‘rich’ means enriching the minds of the Japanese people in hopes of uniting them as a country to move forward as a nation in order to modernise and forget about the old traditions that hinders Japan into becoming a powerful nation. - Aim was to build a strong nation and be seen as an equal of the West
- Means were to emulate the West through a political democracy, (not a real one), only a tool to strengthen the nation,
- Many disputes amongst leaders about ways of governance
- People had more rights
- Peasants got title for land, freedom to grow desired crops
- Education became compulsory for girls and boys, 4 years
- New money system, tax, banking, loans, led onto entrepreneurship with industrial developments, (ship building, mining)
- Constitution 1881, giving supreme authority to Emperor on paper as he was only 16
- Sino Japanese War, 1894-95:
-China wanted to dominate Korea
- Japan saw this as a threat, therefore initiated war with China
- Japan won, was able to get territories from China including Taiwan
- Taiwanese colonial rule, 1895 - Russo Japanese War, 1904-1905:
- Japanese won however victory wasn't recognised by the West because of western superiority
- Japan extended colonial control in Korea - Japanese empire fortified with colonies in Taiwan and Korea
- Japan was well on its way with securing Meiji Restoration Period goals
- Chalmers Johnson, 1982, noted Japanese government and business shared similar goods
- "Secret of success in business... is the determination to work for the sake of society and mankind as well as for the future of the nation, even if it means sacrificing oneself."
- Growing demand for factory labour enticed many workers off farms
- Resulting urbanisation combined with Japan's growing international stature and political reforms of Meiji created an increasing politicised population
- Early 1900s government concerned that demands of a more sophisticated and politically active population would threaten progress
- Action would prevent "social diseases" coming from the West - World War I:
- Europe 1914
- Japan declared war on Germany
- Focused attention on German-leased territories in China
- Occupied Shandong Peninsula
- Took control of German-leased mines, railroads and other industrial concerns and occupying German-held territories in the Pacific
- Japan was able to concentrate on supplying other combatants with war material
- Had social economic growth as previously closed European and American markets opened up to Japanese goods
- Economic growth period was mixed blessing, brought rampant inflation
- Aug 1918 high rice prices led to outbreak of rioting which spread across the country
- Price of rice quadrupled between 1914-1918
Twenty One Demands to China:
- 1915 Japan took advantage of the diversion of international attention and issued Twenty One Demands to China
- Japan was concerned that Chinese weakness would threaten them
- Demands signified Japan's desire to establish itself on Chinese Mainland
- Manchuria
- Called on China to sign former german rights on the Shandong Peninsula over to Japan and to have further privileges in Southern Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia
- China had to sign
- Japan received huge concessions in China
- Chinese government faced Warlordism, very unstable that it could offer little guarantee for Japan's rights
- Infected Japanese attitudes toward China
Industrialisation of Japan until 1925:
- Between 1914 and 1918 Japan’s industrial output rose from 1.4billion to 6.8 billion yen (pg 139 Gordon)
- Between 1912 and 1932, real income per capita more than doubled (pg 15 Hanneman)
- Between 1750 and 1920, population more than doubled to 2.2 million in Tokyo
- Osaka in the same period went from 400,000 to 1.8 million
- By 1925, urbanite made up of 21% of the population (13m/60m)
- Until 1930s, more women were engaged in factory employment than men
- In 1919, “the number of labor disputes skyrocketed to 2388”
- 300 labor unions formed
- A strike was forced by 30,000 shipyard workers in Osaka-Kobe area in 1921
The Role of Zaibatsu in Japan's industrialisation:
- The Zaibatsu is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period and allowed the Japanese economy to transcend rapidly and turned Japan into a wealthy nation in Asia
- The Zaibatsu helped Japan’s industrialisation as the big family companies were able to regulate and control most of the businesses and reduce the competition within markets so that each producer were very successful in maximising efficiency for the produce of goods
The Economic Downturn in the 1920s:
- During April 1920, the stock market plunged, so did the silk market and banks failed
- Japan was facing a recession the the post WWI years
- The cost of Japan goods rose during WWI and were considered overpriced in the global market Japanese refused to go against Orthodox values and to devalue the Japanese yen
- This would lower the cost of Japanese exports Restoration of the economy though decreasing domestic prices
Contributions to Urbanisation:
- Education Policies
- Fundamental Code of education which mandates all boys and girls to attend school for 4 years (1872)
- Became 6 years in 1897 • 1912-1926: Tai Sho period
- Lager reading in public greatly enhanced intellectual level (circulation of intellectual journals
- Urban Female middle class read more particularly on child-bearing, household management, budgeting, how to manage mother’s in law
- Female emancipation and social reform
- Fundamental Code of education which mandates all boys and girls to attend school for 4 years (1872)
- Became 6 years in 1897 • 1912-1926: Tai Sho period
- Lager reading in public greatly enhanced intellectual level (circulation of intellectual journals
- Urban Female middle class read more particularly on child-bearing, household management, budgeting, how to manage mother’s in laws
- Female emancipation and social reform - Increase contact with West
- Urban middle class to be strongly influenced
- Called white collar workers “salaliman"
- Worked in a company with regular salary
- Western clothes
- Including western furniture
- Bread consumption rose
- Japanese Jazz
- Mobos and Mogas dancing on floor
- Sports became popular (eg baseball), had support of wealthy cooperations
- Movies w/ Charlie Chaplin Features
- Government had regular radio broadcasts - Universal Male Military Service
- Modelled from Prussia and France
- Called army “national university”
- Army reinforced ultra traditional values
- Loyal to Emperor
- Trousers, Jackets, Boots, Beer, Biscuits and Beef (Western Items)
- Young men in army – breakdown of social class; created natural unity and social cohesion
- One of the only places where urban and rural society can blend together
Consequences of Urbanisation:
- Huge gap between urban and rural
- Migration from rural to urban for better job opportunities
- Urban dwellers became condescending to their rural counterparts
- Rural (resentment) hatred towards urban people grew
- Because they envied urban advantages
- Felt there was a decline in traditional moral values
- Urbanites largely unconcerned about rural poverty - Emancipation of Women
- Urban women - Problems between tenants and land owners
- Traditioanlly, Japan had paternalistic approach
- The approach allowed Landlords to have a economic and social status, however was obliged tor provide release if tenets during poor harvest year
- Change of attitude in tenants after post war recession; realised that their labour enables