PATH TO GLORY EPISODE-2 JAPAN- A PHOENIX FROM ASHES

                                                     Adarsh V.S

Japan, popularly known as the Land of the Rising Sun - has a journey that is highly thrilling with many events that changed the course of entire global history. Let’s trace that journey of Japan in this episode.

The history of japan can be traced with the help of different time periods owning to its origin from the Jōmon period were the inhabitants of the land comprised of gathers, fishers & hunters. So, the primitive Japanese economy centered around these activities which helped to sustain the day to day affairs of the living population.  This period lasted till 300bc, later on the’’ Yayoi Period” came into being.

The most remarkable aspect of this period is that Rice culture was introduced in japan & eventually with this introduction social classes began to evolve; various parts of the country began to unite under powerful landowners. This period brought Iron & other modern ideas from Korea into Japan, the region witnessed an economic order in the form of agriculture, being the sole livelihood provider.  Yayoi period lasted till 250Ac.

By the beginning of the ‘’Kofun Period’’ a Centre of power had developed in the fertile Kinai plain & about 100AD the country was united under as ‘’Yamato Japan’’ with the political Centre in and around the province of Yamato.

The name’’ Kofun’’ referred to the large tombs which were built for the political class of that Era. The Emperor was ruler of Yamato Japan and resided in the capital that was moved frequently from one city to another.

• The samurai were a class of warriors which arose in the 10th century CE in Japan and which performed military service until the 19th century CE. Elite and highly-trained soldiers expert at using both the bow and sword, the samurai were an essential component of Japan's medieval armies. Samurai may have been excessively romanticized since the 18th century CE as the epitome of chivalry and honor but there are many examples of them displaying great courage and loyalty to their masters, in particular, even committing ritual suicide in the event of the defeat or death of their lord…(Ronin 47)..Warfare in medieval Japan was, though, as bloody and as uncompromising as it was in any other region and money was often the prime motive for many samurai to participate in battle. From the 17th century CE, and no longer needed in a military capacity, samurai often became important moral teachers and advisors within the community.

• The government system of conscription in Japan was ended in 792 CE, and so in the following Heian Period (794-1185 CE), private armies were formed in order to protect the landed interests of nobles who spent most of their time away at the imperial court. This was the beginning of the samurai, a name meaning 'attendant' while the verb’’ samurau’’ means to serve and so the term was originally one of class rather than the military profession it later came to signify. There were other classes of warriors, too, but samurai was the only one with a connotation of serving the imperial court.

• Samurai were employed by feudal lords (daimyo) to defend their territories against rivals, to fight enemies identified by the government, and battle with hostile tribes and bandits. For this reason, samurai could live in barracks, in a castle or in their own private homes. As samurai eventually organized into groups led by warlords with political power they were able to take over from a weak imperial court in the 12th century CE under the rule of such warlords as Minamoto no Yoritomo. Thus, from the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) a new government system was founded which was dominated by warriors and led by a shogun.

Japanese people integrate Ancient philosophies into their daily practices. There seems to be a piece of Japanese philosophy to suit every stress& struggles in human life. These ideas teach us how to be kinder & mindful towards our fellow beings. The popular one’s include-

Buddhism is considered as a Philosophy which influenced the entire World, the ideas of Buddhism is firmly rooted in the soils of Japan. The teachings of Lord Buddha were primarily based on instinct nature of human mind, strongly embedded in the humanistic concept of humankind.  Buddhism flourished in the Japanese region from the mid-4th century and it began to spread to the entire globe. The Buddhist philosophy is based on the following aspects-

• ‘’Impermanence’’ which asserts the fact that human body goes through various stages & so does the mind of human beings which is filled with desires and hope. Buddhism consider ‘’desire’’ as the prime cause of all human sufferings.

• Dependent & co-origination which asserts the fact that all events are linked in some manner, it highlights the Buddhist emphasis on the concept of ‘’Karma’’ 

• ‘’Emptiness’’ or Sunyata which asserts the fact that everything originates from emptiness and later on everything desist to that emptiness.

The philosophy of Confucius is known by the name’’ Confucianism’’ the idea Is of Chinese origin & was introduced in japan via Korea around 250AD. The core foundations of Confucianism include-

• Humanity

• Loyalty

• Morality& Consideration

These foundations laid emphasis on Mercy, Social order and fulfillment of responsibilities. Confucius believed that these ideas could transform the social order in a humanistic manner. 

Period of Isolation

The Isolation of Japan, Japan's long period of isolation from 1639 to 1853, kept it closed off from much of the world, this isolationist foreign policy of japan was termed as ‘’Sakoku’’. The background of policy has a strong political rigidity were the ruling class Tokugawa ‘Ieyasu’ was the most powerful man in Japan after Hideyoshi had died in 1598. Against his promises he did not respect Hideyoshi's successor Hideyori because he wanted to become the absolute ruler of Japan.

leyasu initially promoted foreign trade. He established relations with the English and the Dutch. On the other hand, he enforced the suppression and persecution of Christianity from 1614 on. After the destruction of the ‘’Toyotomi’’ clan in 1615 when Ieyasu captured Osaka Castle, he and his successors had practically no rivals anymore, and peace prevailed throughout the Edo period. Therefore, the warriors (samurai) were educating themselves not only in the martial arts but also in literature, philosophy and the art. But eventually things began to take a turn as Shogun clan began to experience greater power in their affairs and their monarch rule was authoritarian in nature.

In 1633, shogun Iemitsu forbade travelling abroad and almost completely isolated Japan in 1639 by reducing the contacts to the outside world to strongly regulated trade relations with China and the Netherlands in the port of Nagasaki. In addition, all foreign books were banned. Despite the isolation, domestic trade and agricultural production continued to improve. 

The most important philosophy of Tokugawa Japan was Neo-Confucianism, stressing the importance of morals, education and hierarchical order in the government and society: A strict four class system existed during the Edo period: at the top of the social hierarchy stood the samurai, followed by the peasants, artisans and merchants. The members of the four classes were not allowed to change their social status. Outcasts, people with professions that were considered impure, formed a fifth class.

Even though the Tokugawa government remained quite stable over several centuries, its position was steadily declining for several reasons: A steady worsening of the financial situation of the government led to higher taxes and riots among the farm population. In addition, Japan regularly experienced natural disasters and years of famine that caused riots and further financial problems for the central government. The social hierarchy began to break down as the merchant class grew increasingly powerful while some samurai became financially dependent of them. In the second half of the era, corruption, incompetence and a decline of morals within the government caused further problems.

The anti-government feelings were growing and caused other movements such as the demand for the restoration of imperial power and anti-western feelings, especially among ultra-conservative samurai in increasingly independently acting domains such as Choshu and Satsuma. Many people, however, soon recognized the big advantages of the Western nations in science and military and favored a complete opening to the world. Finally, also the conservatives recognized this fact after being confronted with Western warships in several incidents.

In 1867-68, the Tokugawa government fell because of heavy political pressure, and the power of Emperor Meiji was restored.

• The Meiji rule was a period of dynamic changes in the Socio-Political structure of Japan. the period (1868–1912)—that brought about the modernization and Westernization of the country.

• The leaders of the restoration were mostly young samurai from feudal domains historically hostile to Tokugawa authority, notably’’ Chōshū’’, in far western Honshu, and Satsuma, in southern Kyushu. Those men were motivated by growing domestic problems and by the threat of foreign encroachment. The latter concern had its origins in the efforts by Western powers to “open” Japan, beginning in the 1850s after more than two centuries of near isolation, and the fear that Japan could be subjected to the same imperialist pressures that they observed happening in nearby China. Adopting the slogan “Enrich the country, strengthen the army” they sought to create a nation-state capable of standing equal among Western powers. This idea of Meiji transformed Japan into a very notable international power.

• The first action, taken in 1868 while the country was still unsettled, was to relocate the imperial capital from Kyōto to the shogunal capital of Edo, which was renamed Tokyo (“eastern capital”). That was followed, after the end of the fighting, by the dismantling of the old feudal regime. The administrative reorganization had been largely accomplished by 1871, when the domains were officially abolished and replaced by a prefecture system that has remained in place to the present day. 

• All feudal class privileges were abolished as well. Also, in 1871 a national army was formed, which was further strengthened two years later by a universal conscription law. In addition, the new government carried out policies to unify the monetary and tax systems, with the agricultural tax reform of 1873 providing its primary source of revenue. Another reform was the introduction in 1872 of universal education in the country, which initially put emphasis on Western learning.

• Even though these ideas changed the entire framework of japan, there were some Traditional Samurai class who revolted against the Emperor but those rebellious samurai’s were repressed with great difficulty.  The efforts of Emperor Meiji soon reached its goal. 

• At the same time, a growing popular rights movement, encouraged by the introduction of liberal Western ideas, called for the creation of a constitutional government and wider participation through deliberative assemblies. Responding to those pressures, the government issued a statement in 1881 promising a constitution by 1890. In 1885 a cabinet system was formed, and in 1886 work on the constitution began. Finally, in 1889 the Meiji Constitution, presented as a gift from the emperor to the people, was officially promulgated. It established a bicameral parliament, called the Diet—in full Imperial Diet to be elected through a limited voting franchise. The first Diet was convened the following year, 1890.

• Economic and social changes paralleled the political transformation of the Meiji period. Although the economy still depended on agriculture, industrialization was the primary goal of the government, which directed the development of strategic industries, transportation, and communications. The first railroad was built in 1872, telegraph lines linked all major cities by 1880. Private firms were also encouraged by government financial support and aided by the institution of a European-style banking system in 1882. Those efforts at modernization required Western science and technology, and under the banner of “Civilization and Enlightenment”.

• By the early 20th century, the goals of the Meiji Restoration had been largely accomplished. Japan was well on its way to becoming a modern industrialized country. The unequal treaties that had granted foreign powers judicial and economic privileges through extraterritoriality were revised in 1894, and with the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 and its victory in two wars (over China in 1894–95 and Russia in 1904–05), Japan gained respect in the eyes of the Western world, appearing for the first time on the international scene as a major world power. The death of the emperor Meiji in 1912 marked the end of the period. It was prosperous period for japan, the nation witnessed many structural reforms and won some important battles and was on its way to make a mark in the modern world. But soon the horrors of modern world struck japan.

• The Meiji rule set a strong foundation for japan, the nation’s economic as well as military strategy was of top quality. Japan defeated Russia in war of 1905, and the western powers saw Japan as a possible threat. Soon the World War 1 broke out and events began to turn 

• In August 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, Japan, deciding to honor the terms of its 1902 alliance with Great Britain, declared war on Germany despite deep misgivings among many in the government and army, who felt Germany would prevail. The war in Europe quickly became a stalemate along the Western Front, with both sides dug into trenches, unable to achieve a decisive victory.

• By spring 1917, in a war that European politicians originally thought would be over by Christmas 1914, millions had died and there was no end in sight. In Japan, however, what was then called the “Great War” barely registered with the public. Japan had captured the German colony of Tsingtao, in China, in autumn 1914 and had chased the German East Asiatic Squadron out of the Pacific Ocean. The Imperial Japanese Navy had patrolled the South China Sea and had gone as far as the Indian Ocean, but there were no more major battles.

Japan’s economy was doing just fine after WWI.  In addition, Japan decided to change some of their political decisions after the war.  With this being said, the Japanese parliament, the Diet, now had the opportunity to choose their Prime Minister.  Other political changes were that all men over the age of 25 now had the right to vote, there was a national health insurance plan and they removed certain labor union restraints.  Unfortunately, Japan’s outstanding economy and their new political changes didn’t last long enough into the next decade.  Japan was an island that relied a lot on foreign trade to get the resources they need.  As the Great Depression had a greater impact on the other side of the world, this still had a major effect on Japan.  When the Great Depression hit the world, this caused countries to no longer be able to import products from Japan, which is how Japan made up their economy from.  These actions led Japan to fall into and economic crisis. As a result, the military and the nationalist got fed up with its government.

• Japanese polices were able to put an end to the great effects of the Great Depression.  As a cause of the Great Depression, half of all of Japan’s factories were closed by 1931 because no one was in a position to buy imported products from them.  With half of the factories in Japan closing, it left many people without jobs and a way to get food for their family.  In return, this action generated new demands for food, manufactured items which caused exportations to boom), and the elimination of unemployment by 1936.  

• In desperate moments, children were begging for food to passengers on passing trains and farmers had no choice but to eat tree bark to stay alive.  Because government policies in Japan responded quickly to this situation, they suffered much less than many other Western nations that were going through the Great Depression as well.  The government achieved this by increasing its spending to provide jobs.

• This policy, not only helped the people, but it allowed support to their government military purchasing.  Japan’s economy grew much faster than the West due to their turn to industrialization in 1931.  A new series of industrial policies were established by the Japanese in order to prevent social unrest.  These policies proved to be a durable future for Japanese society.  

Bomb’s Which Shattered Japan

As the second World war broke out in the year 1939, Japan belonged to the Axis alliance which fought against the Allies Power. In the year 1941 Japan surprised the entire world by initiating an attack on Pearl Harbor -U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.  The Japanese naval force managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, America saw this attack as a very dangerous threat to their supremacy . 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress on December 8, the day after the crushing attack on Pearl Harbor.

He went on to say, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.”

America was determined to give an accurate reply to this Japanese attack. Eventually the reply of US shook the entire foundation of Japanese Spirit.

• After Germany surrendered in May of 1945, Allied attention focused on Japan. The island-hopping strategy adopted by the U.S. Navy successfully brought B-29 bombers within range of Japan's Home Islands, and they carried out massive attacks involving high explosives, incendiary bombs, and finally the two most powerful weapons ever used in war: the newly-invented atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima(little boy) and Nagasaki ( Fat boy).

• On Monday, August 6, 1945, a mushroom cloud billows into the sky about one hour after an atomic bomb was dropped by American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, detonating above Hiroshima, Japan. Nearly 80,000 people are believed to have been killed immediately, with possibly another 60,000 survivors dying of injuries and radiation exposure by 1950. 

• On August 9, 1945 atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in which around thousands lost their life. These two bombings made Japan into a Land of Ashes; effect of these atomic bombs led to a massive amount of radioactive material to float on the Japanese soil and it had an enduring impact on future generations. 

• The World War 2 had devastating effect on the Japanese economy, their days of glory was over and all the large cities, the industries and the transportation networks were severely damaged. A severe shortage of food continued for several years. Japan basically lost all the territory acquired after 1894. In addition, the Kurile islands were occupied by the Soviet Union, and the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, were controlled by the USA. Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972, however a territorial dispute with Russia concerning the Kurile Islands has not been resolved yet.

• The remains of Japan's war machine were destroyed, and war crime trials were held. Over 500 military officers committed suicide right after Japan surrendered, and many hundreds more were executed for committing war crimes. Emperor Showa was not declared a war criminal.

• A new constitution went into effect in 1947: The emperor lost all political and military power, and was solely made the symbol of the state. Universal suffrage was introduced and human rights were guaranteed. Japan was also forbidden to ever lead a war again or to maintain an army. Furthermore, Shinto and the state were clearly separated.

The occupation of Japan by the Allied Powers started in August 1945 and ended in April 1952. General MacArthur was its first Supreme Commander. The whole operation was mainly carried out by the United States.

The journey of japan after the world war second was initially sponsered by USA. America did have the hidden agenda of keeping japan in their camp as with the end of world War 2 , the cold war between socialist & capitalist camps shaped the world. The devastated Japanese economy rose quickly from the ashes of World War II. By 1956, real per capita GDP had overtaken the prewar 1940 level. During the recovery period (1945–56), per capita GDP rose at an average annual rate of 7.1%. Recovery was followed by the era of rapid growth era. As the graph reveals, Japan began closing in on the West once again, and at a speed far exceeding its prewar progress.

Charting the Catch-Up Curve

The graph below compares changes in real per capita gross domestic product in Japan, the United States, and Britain between 1870 and 2008. The values used are the natural logs of each country’s per capita GDP in 1990 US dollar purchasing-power equivalents. Japan’s per capita GDP in 1945, the year of its surrender in World War II, was $1,346 in 1990 US dollars—a mere 11% of the US figure for the same year and just 47% of the per capita income Japan itself achieved in 1940, the year before its entry into World War II.

 

In 1973, Japan’s per capita GDP was 95% that of Britain and 69% that of the United States. That was the last year of the so-called rapid-growth era, but the Japanese economy continued to expand at a comparatively brisk rate for almost two more decades. By 1991—the last year of the “bubble economy”—Japan’s per capita GDP was 120% that of Britain and 85% that of the United States. Despite the setback of World War II, the process of catching up with the West, begun a little more than a century earlier, was basically complete.

The chief factor was an acceleration in the reallocation of resources, especially labor, from the relatively low-productivity agricultural sector to the non-agricultural sector, which enjoyed higher productivity and per capita income overall. The distribution of resources between sectors and the presence or absence of barriers to redistribution are certainly important elements in our understanding of long-term economic growth.

• With the Hiroshima & Nagasaki incident many scholars predicted that a comeback from these circumstances will be a mission impossible,  but eventually the resurrection of japan proved all of them wrong

• Historically  japan  was’nt  a resource abundant nation, the region didn’t have a favourable geographical condition,  but they made remarkable growth in the sphere of human capital  which paved their journey towards glory.

• Eventhough the modern day Japan is constantly under the pump with the occurrence of  many natural disasters, they do keep a steady  track of economic growth . So japan’s  economic glory  stands as a great epitome for the entire globe.

 Japanese Miracle – Okazaki Tetsuji, Study on socio-economic japan

 Politics in Early Japan – Murai Ryota