Chronology of Japanese History

1
1. Paleolithic period (12,000 B.C.)
In the late glacial period,
Hokkaido, Honshu,
Kyushu, Ryukyu
(Okinawa) and Sakhalin
were linked to the Asian
continent.
Around 20,000 years ago,
many people began to
migrate from the Asian
continent through the
northern part of the
present territory of Japan
in pursuit of mammoths,
naumann elephants and
other sources of food.
2
 2. Jomon period (12,000 B.C.400 B.C)
After the glacial period, many
people began to migrate to
Japan through the southern
part of the present territory.
The people from the north and
the newcomers from the
south were gradually
intermixed.
They made and used pottery
decorated with cord-markings
(Jomon), ground stone tools,
bows, canoes and so on.

3
Jmon Life (12,000 B.C. 400 B.C.)

4
 3. Yayoi period (400 B.C.300 A.D.)
Newcomers from the
Korean Peninsula and
China settled in
northern Kyushu and
Kinki.
They brought wet-field
rice agriculture, metal -
working technology,
new types of pottery
etc.
Gradually they and
Jmon people were
intermixed (Yayoi
people)
5
 Life of the Yayoi people
The agricultural
development
increased grain
harvest.
The population of
villages (mura) was
becoming larger and
larger,and gradually
they turned to small
countries (kuni).
The development of
agriculture also
contributed to greater
social stratification
6
 From Chinas Chronicles
Japan first appeared in written history in 57
A.D. with the following mention in Chinas
chronicle of later Han: Across the ocean are
the people of Wa (in Chinese, Woor dwarf
state). Formed from more than one hundred
tribes, they come and pay tribute frequently.
Chinas chronicle of Wei Zhi in the 3rd century
describes the country of Yamataikoku, unifying
some 30 smaller countries ruled by a shaman
queen named Himiko.
7
 4. Kofun period ( 4th c.6th c.)
Around the 4th century
one of the small
countries the Yamato
State became a
powerful country. It
was located in Nara,
and it began to rule
other small countries.
This shift toward a
unified state is
characterized by the
construction of large Kamuyamatoiwarebikonomikoto
tomb mounds Kofun. The legendary first king
of the Yamato State 8
 The largest Kofun.
Daisen Kofun Goshikitsuka Kohun

Kofuns are large tomb mounds in which the imperial

9
families or the powerful chieftains are buried
 Korean Peninsula around the 5th 6th c.
Since the 5th century
there were a couple of
migration waves from
Korea and China to the
Kinki district and the
Kyushu district.
New knowledge and
technology of China were
brought by them;
ex. Chinese writing,
Confucianism,
engineering works,
blacksmithing,
sericulture, weaving,
pottery and Buddhism Kaya was a military base
(538) of the Yamato State (till 562 10
 5. Asuka Period (592710)
Empress Suiko was
The portrait of
crowned and took up Prince Shotoku
residence in Asuka near
Nara.
Prince Shotoku began to
serve as her regent. He
not only devoted his
efforts to the spread of
Buddhism and Chinese
culture, but also tried to
respect traditional culture
and gods.
He built the Horyuji temple and proclaimed the
Seventeen-Article Constitution. 11
 Horyuji and envoys to china

The oldest extant wooden Envoys dispatched repeatedly

Building Horyuji was built to the Sui and Tang dynasties
in 607 during the 7th 9th c.
12
 6. Nara Period (710794)
Heijokyo in Nara was
established in 710,
modeled after the
capital of the Chinese
Tang Dynasty,
Changan.
The imperial court
aimed at the
centralization of power
based on the ritsuryo
system and the spread
of Buddhism. Heijokyo in Nara
13
 Politics during the Nara period
Ritsuryo (Codes of penal and administrative
laws) system of government
Kochi Komin concept; national control over
people and land.< public land allotment
system >
Gradually the centralized imperial
administration and public land allotment
system were showing signs of strain.
Politics in Nara was upset by rivalries among
nobles and priests.
The capital was transferred to Nagaokakyo
near Kyoto in 784.
14
 Kojiki (712) and Nihon Shoki (720)
Kojiki (The Record of Ancient Matters) and
Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Nihon) are Nippons
oldest and second oldest extant historical writings
with the massive chronicles.
These chronicles give a legendary account of
Nippon's beginnings, in which the people were
descendants of the gods themselves. According to the
myths contained in these 2 chronicles, Japan was
founded in 660 B.C. by the ancestral Jimmu Tenno,
a direct descendant of the Shinto god Amaterasu, or
the Sun Goddess. The myths also claim that Jimmu
Tenno started a line of Tenno that remains
unbroken to this day.
15
 The spread of Buddhism
Buddhist culture and art flourished under
official patronage.

A huge Buddha image

Daibutsu (752) 16
 7. Heian period (7941192)

the capital was

moved to Heiankyo
in Kyoto by Kanmu
Tenno in 794.
It was also modeled
after Changan.
After then, Kyoto was
the capital for almost
1,100 years till the Heiankyo in Kyoto
Meiji Restoration.

17
 Politics during the Heian period
Kanmu Tenno tried to
revive the Ritsuryo
system and reinforce his
reign.
Gradually the imperial
court came to be
dominated by nobles of
the Fujiwara family
The Fujiwara family's
power exceeded the Fujiwara Michinaga
Tenno and reached the The head of
peak in the first half of the Fujiwara family
the 11th c.
18
 Heian Culture (1) Buddhism

Buddhism flourished
in the Heian period,
and dominated the
religious and
philosophical lives of
the nobility in
combination with
native Shinto beliefs.

Kiyomizu temple (in Kyoto)

19
 At the beginning of Enryakuji temple
the 9th c., two new
sects of Buddhism
Tendai and
Shingon were
established by
Saicho and Kukai
who had studied in
China.
Enryakuji temple of
Tendai (in Shiga pref.)
and Kongobuji
temple of Shingon (in
Wakayama pref.) are
very famous Kongobuji temple 20
 Heian Culture (2) Literature etc
The Heian period saw the full assimilation of
Chinese influences and the flowering of an
indigenous aristocratic culture
The residence of
the aristocratic
class and its life

21
The development of the Japanese Kana syllabary;
Katakana (the beginning of the 9th c.),
Hiragana (the end of the 9th c.)

22
The spread of Kana gave birth to a truly
native literary tradition.
Makura no Soshi by Sei Shonagon (996);
Brief prose sketches describing the social and aesthetic
values of the court aristocracy
The Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) by
Murasaki Shikibu (1008); the worlds oldest novel?

Picture scroll
of The Genji

Monogatari

23
 The emergence of Samurai (=Bushi )
In the absence of
effective centralized
military system,
warrior bands Bushi-
dan began to assume
more power in the
provinces.
In particular, warrior
bands called the Genji
and the Heishi became
very influential. Bushi (=Samurai)
24
 The rebellions against the government
The rebellions were Rebellion
suppressed by the Distribution (1051~62)
government with of Bushi-dan Rebellion
the assistance of (1083~87)
Bushi-dan Rebellion
(935~40)
The land ruled
by the Genji

The land ruled

by the Heishi
Rebellion
The land ruled
(1028~31)
Rebellion
by the Genji and
the Heishi
(939~41) 25
 The Genji vs. the Heishi

The battle between the Heishi and Genji.

The head of the Heishi Taira no Kiyomori The fall of the Heishi

The Heishi defeated the Genji in the battle in 1159,

and became the most influential Bushidan.
But about 20 years later, the Heishi was beaten by
the Genji in the several battles and finally fell in
Dannoura of Shimonoseki in 1185.
26
 8. The Kamakura period (1192 1333)
Minamoto no Yoritomo (the
head of the Genji)
established a military
government, the
Kamakura Shogunate, in
Kamakura near Tokyo.
The Kamakura Shogunate
lasted for about 140 years
Minamoto no
Yoritomo (?)
Hiraizumi

Kyoto
Kamakura
27
 Shogun?
Originally Shogun (Seii-Tai-Shogun) was
appointed by Tenno. Shogun was the
supreme commander to conquer the Ezo,
but actually Minamoto no Yoritomo became
the head of the Bushi all over Nippon.
Since the Kamakura period
actual political power has not
been in the hands Tenno, but
in the hands of shoguns,the
military and the prime minister.
ABE Shinzo
(Japans prime minister) 28
 Politics during the Kamakura period
Minamoto no Yoritomo appointed provincial governors
Shugo and estate stewards Jito
The relationship between the shogun and his vassals was the
essential matter for supporting the system. The shogun gave
his vassals the guarantee of ownership of their lands or the
new appointments of Shugo or Jito, and the vassals
swore allegiance to the shogun in turn. Loyalty, honor and
frugality became the ideals within the samurai classes.

After Minamoto no Yoritomo died in 1199, real power passed

to the Hojo family, the family of Yoritomos widow; Masako
Hojo.
Goseibai Shikimoku, which was the formulary of
adjudication, was promulgated by Yasutoki Hojo in 1232.
29
 The Mongol Invasion
Two full-scale invasions of Japans islands by
massive Mongol forces with superior naval
technology and weaponry; the first invasion in
1274 by 30,000 soldiers, 900 ships; the second
invasion in 1281 by 140,000 soldiers, 4,400 ships
Thanks to the famous typhoons Kamikaze
(Divine wind) and Japans good defense, Japan
was successful in stopping the invasion of the
Mongols
This invasion attempt
had devastating domestic
repercussions, leading to
the decline of power and
the extinction of the
Kamakura shogunate 30
 The spread of Buddhism
Buddhism turned its attention to the common people.
Several sects arose; Jodo-shu by Honen (1175),
Jodo-shinshu by Shinran (1224), Nichiren-shu by
Nichiren (1253). These became popular in the
common people.

From China Zen was brought to Japan; a sect of

Zen, called the Rinzai-shu by Eisai (1191), another
sect of Zen, called the Soto-shu by Dogen (1227).
The aim of the Zen sect is to meditate in order to
eliminate hesitation or delusion and awaken to the
truth. Zen became popular in Bushi classes
31
 Culture; simple, realistic, popular
Japanese poetry, essays, warrior tales in literature Heike
monogatari was recited with the accompaniment of the biwa
by a blind priest
The wood sculptures by sculptors Unkei and Kaikei were
very realistic and vivid
Picture scrolls, portrait painting, calligraphy were prosperous in
painting.

32
 9. Muromachi period (13381573)
The Kamakura shogunate was destroyed by the
vassals of Kamakura shogunate, Ashikaga Takauji
etc. in 1333.
Imperial rule was reestablished for a short time
under Go-Daigo Tenno.(133336)
During the early years of the Muromachi period
(1336-1392) the imperial court was split in two;
Northern Court (in Kyoto) and Southern Court (in
Yoshino near Nara).
Ashikaga Takauji established the Muromachi
shogunate in Muromachi in Kyoto. (1338)
The Muromachi shogunate lasted for 235 years. 33
 Politics during the Muromachi period
The Muromachi shogunate was too dependent upon
the independent warlords support to form a strong
central government.
Later shoguns were less successful in controlling the
vassals and feudal coalition.
Subjects replaced their superiors in many cases.
After the Onin War Onin War
(1467-1477), Japan
entered the Sengoku
period (the Warring
States period of
fighting and disorder)
34
The Sengoku Period the later years of the muromachi period
In the later years of the Muromachi period , i.e.
the Sengoku period (the Warring States period
of fighting and disorder), each of the warlords all
over Japan obtained absolute authority over his
own landholdings and subjects, and they often
competed against one another

From the middle of the 16th

century a movement toward
national reunification gradually
emerged out of the violence of
warring domains War in
Kawanakajima 35
Sengoku Daimyo- Warlords in the Sengoku period

36
 Economy in the Muromachi period
The increase in agricultural output, the growth
of crafts and demand for payment of land tax in
cash instead of rice or cloth

The growth of local markets, greater specialization

among merchants and more sophisticated exchange
facilities

37
 Muromachi Culture
Zen Buddhism remained influential in both military
and court circles

Ginkakuji
temple

Kinkakuji temple

The garden of Ryoanji temple

38
 Ink Painting
by Sesshu

Fusumae (painting for sliding-door

partitions) by Kano Motonobu

39
 Muromachi culture was an intricate blending of elite
and popular elements.
Noh (dramas incorporating music and dances),
Kyogen (comedic drama, usually performed
between Noh in the same program)
Tea ceremony and Ikebana
Education of children in temples Masks for Noh
Soy sauce and Miso

Stage of Noh

40
10. Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1600)
The country was reunited by the three powerful
warlords, Sengoku Daimyos, who grasped the
hegemony through many battles and coalitions .
They were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The period was named after the sites of two castles,
Nobunagas Azuchi castle(in Shiga Pref.) and
Hideyoshis Fushimi castle at Momoyama in Kyoto.

Azuchi castle
Fushimi castle

1
 Oda Nobunaga became the most influential
Nobunaga entered Kyoto, and
installed shogun Ashikaga
Yoshiaki, who was a figurehead.
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who
tried to hold real power, was The battle in
driven into exile by Nobunaga Nagashino

<the fall of the Muromachi

Shogunate>
Just before achieving
unification of Nippon,
he was killed by his own
vassal, Akechi Mitsuhide,
in Honnoji 2
Oda Nobunaga Toyotomi Hideyoshi
After Nobunagas sudden death, his
vassal Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified
Nippon in 1590.
He obtained the lofty aristocratic
positions of kampaku (imperial
regent) and dajo daijin(grand
minister of state) from Tenno.
Hideyoshi declared a sword-hunting
decree, prohibiting the change of
status and did the land surveys. Osaka castle

3
Toyotomi Hideyoshi Tokugawa Ieyasu
Hideyoshi attempted to rule Korea, in vain.
Two invasions of Korea tortured Korean people
and weakened Hideyoshis rule of Nippon

After Hideyoshi died,

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was
the most powerful in the
Kanto district, defeated the
west Nippons allied powers
led by Ishida Mitunari in
the battle of Sekigahara in
Gifu pref.
4
 Nanban Culture
In the Azuchi-Momoyama period Nippon was
exposed to Western culture through contact with
European traders and missionaries.
Nanban people (Literally, southern barbarian)
mean Western people, in particular, the Portuguese

Matchlock muskets (1543)

Christianity (1549)
Astronomy, medicine, navigation,
western painting etc.
Articles and words from
Portuguese; Po (bread), tabaco,
5
carta (card game)
 Momoyama Culture
Himeji
castle Painting on
the folding
screen by
Kano
Eitoku

Kabuki dancing Sen The Teahouse

no
Rikyu

Arita
yaki
6
 11. The Edo period (16001867
After the victory of the battle,
Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed
seii-tai-shogun (shogun) by
Tenno, and established the Edo
shogunate in 1603.
Since then Nippon enjoyed
freedom from warfare at
Tokugawa Ieyasu
home and abroad for more
than 2 centuries.
It witnessed the stabilization
of the system of local rule by
military lords(daimyo) under
the strong shogunal authority.
7
Edo castle
 Bakuhan system
The Bakuhan(bakushogunate and handomain)
system was created by Ieyasu; the Edo shogunate
directly controlled Edo,Osaka,Kyoto and the heartlands
as well as main mines, while thedaimyo(warlords)
governed the each han(domain).
Ieyasu classifieda lot of the daimyos into three groups; the fudai
(hereditary retainers), the shimpan (collateral or cadet daimyo)
and the tozama (outside daimyo). And he placed them into the
domains appropriately.
The shouguns most effective control device of the daimyo was the
sankinkotai or alternate attendance requirement.
Ieyasu and his successors were able to maintain a strong
centralized feudal structure by balancing the daimyo domains.

8
Daimyos procession for Sankinkotai

9
 Separation of classes and external policy
Shi-no-ko-sho (warrior-peasant-artisan-merchant);
A four-class concept with its origins in Confucian principles
This separation of classes gave rise to quite different
expectations and styles of life for each segment of society.
An edict prohibiting Christian missionary activity was issued
in 1612, and after the Shimabara Uprising of 1637-38, anti-
Christian policy was reinforced.
Sakoku(National
Seclusion) was completed.
All Westerners except the
Dutch were prohibited
from entering Nippon
The small island of Dejima in Nagasaki 10
 sssues after the end of the 18th c.
Until the middle of the 18th c. the Edo shogunate was stable
under strong authority.
Since the end of the 18th c. various issues, which shocked and
led to weaken the the shogunate, took place

Between 1782 and 1787, Temmei famine took place, and

peasant uprisings and urban riots occurred with increasing
frequency.
Mt. Asama erupted, causing about 20,000 deaths in 1783.
Since the beginning of the 19th c., Russian and British ships
appeared in Nippons waters frequently. Facing an external
threat, the shogunate issued the Order for the repelling of
foreign ships.
A large scale of famine, the Tempo Famine began in 1833,
and peasant uprisings and urban riots increased rapidly.
11
 Arrival of the warships and reaction of the shogunate
In 1853 four warships of the US, commanded by Commondore
Matthew Perry, arrived in Edo Bay, demanding Nippon to open
trade with the US.
Two decisions that the Edo shogunate made then signaled the
end of Tokugawa power.
1. The shogunate consulted among the daimyo (warlords) on how
to handle the American request for the opening of Nippons ports.
2. The shogunate encouraged the daimyo to build up their own
coastal defenses.
These decisions meant the
abandonment of the shogunates
prerogative of determining
foreign polcy, and the weakening
of shogunates power to control
domains military strength.
12
 The end of National Seclusion
The Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States
and Nippon signed in 1854; similar treaties were concluded
with Great Britain (1854), Russia (1855), and the Netherlands
(1856). <National Seclusion ended.>
The Commercial treaties between the shogunate and the
United States, the Netherlands, Russia, Great Britain, and
France were concluded despite Tennos disapproval. (1858)
Tarrif Convention signed with the United States, the
Netherlands, Great Britain and France. (1866)

These treaties (1858,1866) were unequal;

Extraterritoriality of the foreign countries and no
tariff autonomy to Nippon
13
 The fall of the Edo shogunate
Against the management of the external affairs by the shogunate,
anti-shogunate ideology and forces grew rapidly.
Anti-Tokugawa domains Satsuma-han and Choshu-han were
drawn into alliance by young activist samurai.
Taisei Hokan(Return of Political rule to Tenno); in 1867 the last
shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned from the position of
shogun. The Edo shogunate had fallen.
Two months after Taisei Hokan, the representatives of these
anti-Tokugawa domains made Tennos court declare in Tennos
name Osei Fukko (Restoration of Tennos rule) in the absence
of Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

14
 Rising of the merchants in the economy
During the Edo period, economic activities developed greatly.
lot of towns sprang up in the urban areas throughout
Nippon, and various kinds of commercial facilities were
made up to serve the city life.
Large cities, especially Osaka, became the central places
where the merchandise such as tributes and staples of
the domains were traded. Osaka port

15
 In Osaka, and later Edo, some merchants, engaged in wholesale and
exchange business, forming the Kabunakama, guild of the comrade,
tied with the shogunate and the domains, became richer and very
powerful.
Other merchants provided samurai and chonin in the towns with
the goods for lives.
In spite of the low rank in the class hierarchy, merchants began to be
more influential.

Mercer in Edo

16
 Chonin culture
New cultural elements were added to Japanese culture. many of
them were generated by the emerging bourgeois in towns, and
called Choniin culture.
It was brought to the first flowering in Osaka and Kyoto during
the Genroku era (1688-1704), and flourished mainly in Edo during
the Bunka and Bunsei eras.

Kabuki
Matsuo Basho Sumo event
Joruri; puppet theater
Haiku; the 17-syllable form of
light verse
Ihara Saikakus fiction
Chikamatsus scenarios of
Kabuki and Joruri
17
Ukiyo-e
 Hokusai

Joruri
Hiroshige Sharaku

18
A Kabuki theater
 Education during the Edo period
Shoheiko; school for the shogunates feudatory
under the direct control of the shogunate.
Hanko; schools only for samurais children,
which were set up by Han(domains)
Terakoya (Literally, temple house); private
elementary schools; there were more than 100,000
terakoya all over Nippon then

19
 12. The Meiji period (1868-1912)
The Meiji period started with the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate
and the sweeping reforms attendant upon the restoration of the
Tennos reign.
The period saw Japans transformation from a feudal polity into a
modern industrial state, along with its emergence from the external
isolation into the rank of major world powers.

It was activist samurai of anti-

Tokugawa domains, mainly Satsuma
and Choshu, and anti-Tokugawa
nobles in the court that became the
leaders of the government under
Meiji Tenno.
20
Meiji Tenno
 Politics during the Meiji period (1)
A series of reforms at the beginning of the Meiji period
were called Meiji Ishin(the Meiji Restoration).
The new government issued the Charter Oath in 1868;
the respect of public opinion, the intention to open Japan
to the world, the abolishment of feudalism etc.

Edo was renamed Tokyo;

literally, eastern capital. The
government and Tenno moved
to Tokyo, and the capital was
formally transferred from
Kyoto to Tokyo
Tenno entered Edo21
 Politics during the Meiji period (2)
Hanseki hokan (1869) (Formal return of domains
registers to Meiji Tenno); then all daimyo were appointed
governors of their former domains by the government.
Haihan Chiken (1871) (Establishment of prefectural
system); the government dismissed daimyo governors and
dispatched the new governor.
Centralization of administrative power
Modernization of education, defense and taxation
The Education Order (1872)
Military Conscription Ordinance (1873)
Land Tax Reform Law (1873) The Battle
of Seinan
22
 Politics during the Meiji period (3)
Two slogans A Rich Country and a Strong Military and
Civilization and Enlightenment
Desire to construct strong and civilized Nippon
which cannot be incorporated into the imperialism
of western countries

The Meiji Constitution was promulgated as a constitution

granted by Tenno. (1889)
First session of the Imperial Diet was convened. (1890)
The appearance of the first
parliamentary government in Asia
23
 Politics during the Meiji period (4)
Anglo-Japanese Commercial Treaty was signed.
(1894); <the first treaty revision of the unequal Tariff
Convention of 1866>
The abolishment of extraterritoriality and the
restoration of partial tariff autonomy to Japan.
Similar treaties with other powers soon followed

The minister of
foreign affairs
Mutsu
Munemitsu
A ball
24
 Wars against China and Russia
Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895) made Japan the first
non-western modern imperial power in the world.
Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905) proved that a
western power could be defeated by a non-western state.

The results of these

wars left Japan the
dominant power in
the Far East, and led
to Japans annexation
of Korea as a colony
Prince of Korea
in 1910. and Ito Hirobumi Russia and Nippon
25
 Development of industries
A lot of national factories with western technology and
equipment were constructed for the manufacturing industry.
The government-run factories were disposed to the private
entrepreneurs at lower cost.
The light industry of textile developed rapidly and grew to
become the main export industry.
The iron and steel industry was given a major boost by the
governments establishment of the Yahata works in North
Kyushu in 1901.

a mill of
cotton textile
26
Yahata Iron and
Steel works
Young women workers
in a raw silk mill

27
 Science and Culture during the Meiji period
The establishment of universities; Tokyo
University(1877), Keio Gijuku university etc.
The import of Western science
The start of original research; Noguchi Hideyo, Kitasato
Shibasaburo (medicine), Nagaoka Hantaro (physics) etc.
The usage of colloquial speech in
literature; Futabatei Shimei,
Tsubouchi Shoyo
Fukuzawa
The import of Western art; Yukichi
Kuroda Seiki etc.
Renewed appreciation of
traditional art; Okakura Tenshin
28
13. The Taisho period (1912-1926)
Nippon entered World War I on the side of Great
Britain and its allies. (1914); at the peace conference
at Versailles in 1919, Nippon was officially
recognized as one of the Big Five of the new
international order.
Taisho Democracy; in the late1910s Nippon
progressed toward a democratic system of government.

The Tokyo earthquake

occurred (1923); more
than 100,000 deaths

29
 Taisho Culture
The popularization of culture; the increase of the educated
urban middle classes.
The appearance of new kinds of mass media; large circulation
newspapers, general monthly magazines and radio broadcasts.
Nishida Kitaro (philosopher)
Yanagida Kunio (folklorist)

Tokyo in the Taisho period 30

Radio broadcast before the earthquake
 14. The Showa period (1926- )
US stock market crashed;
prolonged depression began. Showa Tenno
(1929)
Showa depression began (1930); confusion in economics
seriously shook public confidence in the government.
During the late 1920s and 1930s military leaders became
increasingly influential.
Manchurian Incident (1931); the conquest of Manchuria by
the Japanese Kwantung army began.
Kwantung army established the state of Manchukuo. (1932)
As a result of international condemnation of the incident,
Japan resigned from the League of Nations. (1933)

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 From Sino-Japanese War to World War II
After the Manchurian Incident, several similar incidents
were brought about by the expansion of military.
The second Sino-Japanese War began. (1937)
Japan allied with Germany and Italy. (1940)
The US began an embargo on petroleum products
etc.(1940)
Japan tried to go to Southeast Asia to acquire petroleum
etc. But this action inevitably led to the conflict with the
US, Great Britain, the Netherlands and France.
The Pacific War began. (1941)
Air raids were made on Japans main cities; over 200,000
people were killed and over 2,000.000 houses were burnt
down.
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.(1945) 32
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