The early 1800, Americans were interested in Japan

because they needed places where their ships could stop

for food, fuel, water and protection.

The American government sent Commodore Matthew

Perry on 1853 to Japan.

Commodore Matthew Perry

In February 1854, Perry returned with ten ships and he carried many

presents for the Japanese officials.

They agreed to the Treaty of Kaganawa.

This treaty opened two Japanese treatment for shipwrecked sailors,

and set up diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The signature page of the English version of the Treaty of Kanagawa,

signed by Matthew Perry

In 1858, a second treaty opened more

ports. It also granted extraterritoriality to

Americans to Japans.

This is also called the “Harris Treaty” or

“Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United

States – Japan)”

It was signed on the deck of the USS

Powhatan in Edo (now Tokyo) Bay on

July 29, 1858. It opened the ports of

Kanagawa and four other Japanese cities

to trade and granted extraterritoriality to

foreigners, among a number of trading

stipulations.

Unlike the Chinese rulers, the Japanese decided that

their country could survive only by adapting some

western ways.

One of the first changers was in the shogunate (Office

of the Emperor)

The Treaty of Kanagawa had caused anti – foreign

demonstrations.

In 1867, strong leaders among nobles forced the

shogun to give up his powers.

In 1868, the emperor was restored to power

The capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo.

Emperor Matshuhito, aged fifteen, named his

reign Meiji, meaning “ enlightened rule”

During 45 years of Meiji Era, Japan became a

powerful, modern state, the first industrialized

country in Asia.

Japanese leaders sent their own people to study

all the major Western powers.

In 1872, the emperor ended feudalism. - the

dominant social system in medieval Europe.

In 1899, he set forth a constitution like that which

Bismarck had written for the German Empire.

Emperor

Matshuhito of

Japan

Although it provided for a two house legislature, the emperor

remained supreme.

Only the lower house was elected.

Military leaders had great power in government. The army was

based on the German model and navy on the British.

Compulsory education was introduced and illiteracy was

almost wiped out.

The government adopted new laws and new judicial system,

patterned after Western one.

All foreign rights were of extraterritoriality were gone by 1899.

Japanese leader knew that Western power

strength was based on industrial power, thus

they pushed ahead with a major program to

make Japan strong industrially and by 1900

there was half million factory workers.

Japan developed a “mixed” system of private

and governmental enterprise led by a few rich

families .

Japan became a modern industrial nation and at

the same time became imperialistic.

In Meiji Era alone, the population grew from

about 30 to more the 50 million.

Early 1876, the Japanese had obtained trading

privileges in Korea. This angered the Chinese

and later led to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-

1895.

Japan won and major gain of territory.

The Treaty of Shimonoseki ended the war and gave

Japan the islands of Taiwan, Pescadores and Liaotung

Peninsula of Manchuria. Russians were expanding into

Manchuria too.

Russia leased the peninsula and harbor for itself through

a treaty with China. This and other Russian moves in

Korea and it angered Japan.

Fighting began when Japan, without declaring war,

attacked the Russian fleet at Port Harbor.

Japan won the Russo-Japan War.

This was the first time in modern history that an

Asian country had defeated a European country.

With the Treaty of Porthsmouth 1905, Japan also

got a sphere of influence in Korea and won the

southern half of the Russia island of Sakhalin.

5 years later, Japan took over Korea.

India and China became victims of

European Imperialists, and later smaller

Asian countries as well as many islands in

the Pacific became victims of European

Imperialism.

A rival came, and it was the United States.

When China became open to Western

exploitation in the middle of 19th century, the

Russians also stepped into the country.

The Russians founded the town of

Vladivostok in 1860.

In 1890, Russia began building Trans-Siberia

Railroad.

Russian imperialists were also moving into

parts of Persia.

In 1907, Britain and Russia signed an agreement

promising that neither country would take over

Afghanistan.

In Southeast Asia, Britain and France were two rivals.

The French first moved into area in the late 18th

century.

By the middle of 1800, hostile Asian feelings led

attacks on French missionaries.

A French fleet attacked and captured Saigon in 1860.

During the next twenty years, France took control of

Cochinchina, Cambodia and Annam.

In 1893, the French took over Laos.

They grouped all these areas together to form the

French colony if Indochina and it was nearly thirty

percent larger in area than France itself.

Burma too had come under British influence.

Burma was formally added to India in 1855.

The Netherlands was another important European

power in this region and it controlled the East Indies.

In 1798, the home government took over and it made

the territory a colony called the Netherland East Indies.

Great Britain, the leading naval power held

Australia, New Zealand, and many Pacific

Islands.

These included Fiji and the southern

Solomons.

During the 19th century, Americans and

Europeans settled in the Hawaiian islands.

In 1898, congress took over the Hawaiian

islands and in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th

state.

The End!