Empire of Japan: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date	January 3, 1868 - May 3, 1947

Photos and Videos

Map showing the territorial expansion of the Japanese Empire from 1870 to 1942 across East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The map uses color codes to indicate the original Japanese territory in 1870, subsequent acquisitions, and the farthest extent of Japanese occupation and conquest by 1942, including parts of China, Korea, Manchuria, Southeast Asia, and numerous Pacific islands. An inset map displays the broader reach of Japanese control at its peak.

The emperor Meiji

Perry, Matthew C.; Japan, Empire of

Samurai with sword

Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Ōkubo Toshimichi.

Kusakabe Kimbei: Samurai in Armour

Witness the entry of the U.S. into international politics as Theodore Roosevelt successfully ends the Russo-Japanese War of 1905

Investigate devastation wrought by Japan on Manchuria and China during the Great Depression

View footage of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the strike that provoked the U.S. into entering World War II

Discover how the U.S. Navy defeated Japan's fleet to check Japanese expansion in the Battle of Midway

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Topics

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Major Events

Antique map from 1902 showing Japan, Korea, and surrounding seas, with detailed labeling of cities, regions, and geographical features. Insets display the Kurile Islands, Liu-Kiu (Ryukyu) Islands, and Formosa (Taiwan) in greater detail. The map includes coastal outlines, major islands, and place names as they appeared in the early twentieth century.

Korea Under Japanese Rule

Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall

Nanjing Massacre

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Harris Treaty

Charter Oath

Charter Oath

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Treaty of Kanagawa

Map showing the territorial expansion of the Japanese Empire from 1870 to 1942 across East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The map uses color codes to indicate the original Japanese territory in 1870, subsequent acquisitions, and the farthest extent of Japanese occupation and conquest by 1942, including parts of China, Korea, Manchuria, Southeast Asia, and numerous Pacific islands. An inset map displays the broader reach of Japanese control at its peak.

Empire of Japan

historic state

Japan

country, Asia

Yasaka Shrine, Kyōto, Japan

Kyōto

Japan

Key People

Bronze statue of samurai Saigo Takamori standing with his dog on a stone pedestal in Ueno Park, Tokyo, with yellow autumn trees in the background.

Saigō Takamori

Japanese samurai

Ito Hirobumi

Itō Hirobumi

prime minister of Japan

Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu

shogun of Japan

Tokugawa Nariaki: calligraphy

Tokugawa Nariaki

Japanese government official

Matthew C. Perry

Matthew C. Perry

United States naval officer

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Kido Takayoshi

Japanese statesman

Itagaki Taisuke.

Hakushaku Itagaki Taisuke

Japanese politician

Ōkubo Toshimichi.

Ōkubo Toshimichi

Japanese statesman

Gotō Shōjirō.

Gotō Shōjirō

Japanese political leader