Imperial Japan's rapid industrialization and militarization under the slogan Fukoku Kyōhei (富国強兵?, "Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Army") led to its emergence as a world power, eventually culminating in its membership in the Axis alliance and the conquest of a large part of the Asia-Pacific region. At the height of its power in 1942, the Empire of Japan ruled over a land area spanning 7,400,000 square kilometres (2,857,000 sq mi), making it one of the largest maritime empires in history.
After several large-scale military successes during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and the Pacific War, the Empire of Japan also gained notoriety for its war crimes against the peoples of the countries it conquered. After suffering many defeats and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, however, the Empire of Japan surrendered to the Allies on September 2, 1945. A period of occupation by the Allies followed the surrender, and a new constitution was created with American involvement. The constitution came into force on May 3, 1947, officially dissolving the Empire. American occupation and reconstruction of the country continued well into the 1950s, eventually forming the current nation-state whose full title is the "State of Japan" (Nippon-koku) simply rendered "Japan" in English.
The Emperors during this time, which spanned the entire Meiji and Taishō, and the lesser part of the Shōwa eras, are now known in Japan by their posthumous names, which coincide with those era names: Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito), Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito), and Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito).
Terminology
Although the empire is frequently referred to as "the Japanese Empire" or "Imperial Japan" in English, the literal translation is "Great Empire of Japan" (Dai Nippon Teikoku).This meaning is significant in terms of geography, encompassing Japan and its surrounding areas. The nomenclature Empire of Japan had existed since the anti-Tokugawa domains, Satsuma and Chōshū, which founded their new government during the Meiji Restoration, with the intention of forming a modern state to resist western domination.
Due to its name in Kanji characters and its flag, it was also called the Empire of the Sun.
Influential personnel
Main article: List of Japanese government and military commanders of World War II
Political
Military
The military of Imperial Japan was divided into two main branches: the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Imperial Japanese Army. To coordinate operations, the Imperial General Headquarters, headed by the Emperor, was established in 1893. Prominent generals and leaders:- Imperial Japanese Navy: Navy of Japan
- Admiral Count Itoh Sukeyuki (1843–1914)
- Admiral Viscount Inoue Yoshika (1845–1929)
- Admiral Marquis Tōgō Heihachirō (1847–1934) Battle of Tsushima
- Admiral Prince Arisugawa Takahito (1862–1913)
- Admiral Baron Ijuin Gorō (1852–1921)
- Admiral Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito (1867–1922)
- Admiral Baron Shimamura Hayao (1858–1923)
- Admiral Baron Katō Tomosaburō (1861–1923)
- Admiral Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu (1876–1946)
- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884–1943) Attack on Pearl Harbor, Battle of Midway
- Admiral Osami Nagano (1880–1947)
- Admiral Mineichi Koga (1885–1944)
- Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo (1887–1944) Attack on Pearl Harbor, Battle of Midway
- Imperial Japanese Army: Army of Japan
- Marshal Prince Yamagata Aritomo: Chief of staff of the Army, Prime Minister of Japan
- Marshal Prince Ōyama Iwao: Chief of staff of the Army
- General Viscount Kodama Gentarō: Chief of staff of the Army
- Marshal Viscount Uehara Yūsaku: Chief of staff of the Army
- Marshal Prince Kotohito Kan'in: Chief of staff of the Army
- Marshal Hajime Sugiyama: Chief of staff of the Army
- General Kuniaki Koiso: Prime Minister of Japan
- General Hideki Tōjō: Prime Minister of Japan
- General Yoshijirō Umezu: Chief of staff of the Army
Timeline
- 1926: Emperor Taishō dies (December 25).
- 1927: Tanaka Giichi becomes prime minister (April 20).
- 1928: Emperor Shōwa is formally installed as emperor (November 10).
- 1929: Osachi Hamaguchi becomes prime minister (July 2).
- 1930: Hamaguchi is wounded in an assassination attempt (November 14).
- 1931: Hamaguchi dies and Wakatsuki Reijirō becomes prime minister (April 14). Japan occupies Manchuria after the Mukden Incident (September 18). Inukai Tsuyoshi becomes prime minister (December 13) and increases funding for the military in China.
- 1932: After an attack on Japanese monks in Shanghai (January 18), Japanese forces shell the city (January 29). Manchukuo is established with Henry Pu Yi as emperor (February 29). Inukai is assassinated during a coup attempt and Saitō Makoto becomes prime minister (May 15). Japan is censured by the League of Nations (December 7).
- 1933: Japan leaves the League of Nations (March 27).
- 1934: Keisuke Okada becomes prime minister (July 8). Japan withdraws from the Washington Naval Treaty (December 29).
- 1936: Coup attempt (February 26 Incident). Kōki Hirota becomes prime minister (March 9). Japan signs its first pact with Germany (November 25) and occupies Tsingtao (December 3). Mengjiang established in Inner Mongolia.
- 1937: Senjūrō Hayashi becomes prime minister (February 2). Prince Fumimaro Konoe becomes prime minister (June 4). Battle of Lugou Bridge (July 7). Japan captures Beijing (July 31). Japanese troops occupy Nanjing (December 13), beginning the Nanjing Massacre.
- 1938: Battle of Taierzhuang (March 24). Canton falls to Japanese forces (October 21).
- 1939: Hiranuma Kiichirō becomes prime minister (January 5). Abe Nobuyuki becomes prime minister (August 30).
- 1940: Mitsumasa Yonai becomes prime minister (January 16). Konoe becomes prime minister for a second term (July 22). Hundred Regiments Offensive (August–September). Japan occupies Indochina in the wake of the fall of Paris, and signs the Tripartite Pact (September 27).
- 1941: General Hideki Tōjō becomes prime minister (October 18). Japanese naval forces attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (December 7), prompting the United States to declare war on Japan (December 8). Japan conquers Hong Kong (December 25).
- 1942: Battle of Ambon (January 30 – February 3). Battle of Palembang (February 13–15). Singapore surrenders to Japan (February 15). Japan bombs Australia (February 19). Indian Ocean raid (March 31 – April 10). Doolittle Raid on Tokyo (April 18). Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4–8). U.S. and Filipino forces in the Battle of the Philippines (1942) surrender (May 8). Japan defeated at the Battle of Midway (June 6). Allied victory in the Battle of Milne Bay (September 5).
- 1943: Allied victory in Battle of Guadalcanal (February 9). Japan defeated at Battle of Tarawa (November 23).
- 1944: Tojo resigns and Kuniaki Koiso becomes prime minister (July 22).
- 1945: U.S. bombers begin firebombing of major Japanese cities. Japan defeated at Battle of Iwo Jima (March 26). Admiral Kantarō Suzuki becomes prime minister (April 7). Japan defeated at Battle of Okinawa (June 21). U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9). Japan surrenders (September 2): Allied occupation begins.
- 1947: Constitution of Japan comes into force.
Emperors
| Posthumous name1 | Given name² | Childhood name³ | Period of Reigns | Era name4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meiji Tennō (明治天皇) |
Mutsuhito (睦仁) |
Sachi-no-miya (祐宮) |
1868–1912 (1890–1912)5 |
Meiji | |
| Taishō Tennō (大正天皇) |
Yoshihito (嘉仁) |
Haru-no-miya (明宮) |
1912–26 | Taishō | |
| Shōwa Tennō (昭和天皇) |
Hirohito (裕仁) |
Michi-no-miya (迪宮) |
1926–896 | Shōwa | |
| 1 Each posthumous name was given after the respective era names as Ming and Qing Dynasties of China. | |||||
| 2 The Japanese imperial family name has no surname or dynastic name. | |||||
| 3 The Meiji Emperor was known only by the appellation Sachi-no-miya from his birth until November 11, 1860, when he was proclaimed heir apparent to Emperor Kōmei and received the personal name Mutsuhito . | |||||
| 4 No multiple era names were given for each reign after Meiji Emperor. | |||||
| 5 Constitutionally. | |||||
| 6 Constitutionally. The reign of the Shōwa Emperor in fact continued until 1989 since he did not abdicate after World War II. However, he lost his status as a living god. | |||||
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