• 🇯🇵 Expansion into Manchuria.
• 😤 Japan's exit from the League of Nations.
• 🥊 Invasion of China.
• 🤝 Military alliance with Italy & Germany.
• 🚀 1941 Attack on the United States.

• After the late 1800s, Japan opened up to Western influences.
• Goals
  • Modernization & strength
  • Compete with big boys: US, Britain, France, Germany & Russia.
  • Need: Strong economy ➡️ Strong military 🛡️.

Real-World Example: It's like Japan decided to join the major league of countries! They wanted to play with the big teams and become a star player themselves. ⚽

• Victory in Sino-Japanese War (1894)
• Won the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)
• Friendship treaty with Britain (1902)
• Joined WWI party in 1914.

Real-World Example: Imagine a school kid excelling in every sport, debate, and drama club, gathering all the trophies. That was Japan in the global scene.

• Commodore Perry and his ‘four black ships of evil’ docked in 1853.
• Caused a HUGE debate in Japan
  • Keep the doors closed 🚫?
  • Or learn from the West 🤝?

• Pre-1868: Emperor = figurehead, real power = shogunate (military govt.).
• Tokugawa clan ruled since 1603, their leader = shogun (think of it like a super general).
• Below the shogun: daimyo (local lords).
• And don't forget the samurai! 🗡️ Cool warriors with a code: Bushido.

Real-World Example: Imagine a company. The CEO (Emperor) is just a face, while the COO (Shogun) really runs the show. Now, imagine if the office managers (Daimyo) and security (Samurai) had some real power too.

• Europe wasn't the only place going through a makeover in the 19th century. Japan was, too!
• The Old Ways (feudalism) were fading because
  • 📈 More people = more demand for stuff.
  • 💰 Merchants got rich, challenged the samurai.
  • 🏦 Samurai's fancy lifestyle in Edo put them in debt.
  • 🌋 New power-hungry clans (Satsuma & Chōshū) wanted the Tokugawa's throne.

Real-World Example: Imagine if the unpopular kids in school suddenly became cool because they started selling candy, and the once-cool jocks started owing them money. The whole social scene gets flipped!

Japanese nationalism and the need for modernization drove its aggressive foreign policy, evolving from a secluded nation to a formidable world power in a matter of decades.

Happy Studying! 📘🎉