First Sino-Japanese War

the success of the Northern Expedition, Chiang’s government had been facing many difficult issues. In 1937, the Anti-Japanese War was weaken Chiang’s government even more. Around the same time, because of using the right straight, the Chinese Communist Party was getting stronger and stronger under Mao’s leadership. Chiang did not realize that and still decided to fight a civil war in 1945. Therefore, the defeat of Chiang was because Chiang…

between the two countries: the islands represent an imbalance of power between them. Given their history of war and military aggression towards each other, the terse relationship over a valuable military resource becomes that much more provocative for both sides when set in the international stage. The hardline stances developed by both countries demonstrate this: China openly refers to Japanese utilization of the island as theft (“The Diaoyu Islands”). As China and Japan are geographically…

Doka, Kominka, and Colonial Identity The year 1919 witnessed a turning point in the Japanese colonial policies on its formal colonies, Korea and Taiwan. It was at the apex of Woodrow Wilson’s call for national self-determination that several national independence movements were seen in colonies around the world, among which the March 1 Independent movement in Korea was one of the most fierce and brutal. Although the nature of colonialism in Korea remained the same, the propaganda was indeed…

During the 1850’s the pacific world began to feel immense pressure from the west, as they began to surpass them through the construction of war ships and other resources. In a desperate attempt to preserve their cultural values and pride, four patriotic men decided to voice their opinions on how to better their home country. Tokugawa Nariaki and Ii Naosuke were advocates for Japan, while Feng Guifen and Woren were citizens of China. Although each one made excellent points on ways to benefit the…

Introduction Fukoku-Kyōhei, meaning “enrich the country and strengthen the military” quickly became the motto for a reinvigorated Japan stepping onto the global stage commanded by the West, while also acting as the mold for which they would inevitably fit through their rather abrupt transformation: The Meiji Restoration (Christensen 1). What may have ultimately began as an endeavor to modernize, may have also become the trigger for exponential societal change and an undertaking that would…

when the Japanese military took over Nanjing in 1937. Although they have any sides of the story. Throughout history, people use different words to describe this event, rape,massacre,invention and battle. Although the term massacre describes this event the best. The term that describes this event the best is massacre. As historians dig deeper and the more evidence the just describe a massacre. “Mass killing and ravaging of Chinese citizens and capitulated soldiers by soldiers of the Japanese…

In 1942, Australia and PNG were involved in the battle of Kokoda against the Japanese. The involvement of Australia in the Kokoda campaign was significant as the threat the Japanese imposed, the hardships the Australian endured and the characteristics the troops displayed all held impact on the nation of Australia. The tactics of the Japanese Aggressive Foreign Policy was a threat to Australia with its plans of invasion or isolation to gain Australia's resources. Australia's involvement in the…

Textbook A is the “New History Textbook” published by Fusosha, a Japanese publishing company, in 2005. This can be inferred based on the excerpt of Textbook A, which notably avoids the use of words with strong imagery - such as ‘massacre’ - in describing the event. The only comment on how “the Japanese military killed and wounded many Chinese soldiers and civilians” was made in passing as part of the footnotes, and its mention was accompanied with a note that stressed how “historical facts” are…

Tokyo, Japan. In 1899 Tojo entered the Army Cadet School. When Tojo graduated he was ranked 10th out of 363 cadets. In March of 1905 Hideki was commissioned as second lieutenant in the infantry of the IJA. 1928 Tojo became the Bureau Chief of the Japanese army. In the same year he was later promoted to Colonel. Tojo started to take pride in military politics and soon became a Major General in 1934. Hideki was involved with all types of politics. Tojo was a Fascist, Militarist, and Nationalist.…

unique company of Japanese soldiers and their adventures across Burma. These soldiers returned home from World War II so cheerful and energetic that civilians thought the company had extra rations, but instead had kept up their morale through singing (Takeyama 1). Due to the book being published just a couple of years after the end of World War II and a focus of the book being the Buddhist culture of Burma, Takeyama contributed to a sense of false hope and amnesia that helped the Japanese…