Japan Timeline and History Highlights
Japan Timeline Highlights
B.C.
2500-300 – Jomon period, when the first settlements were formed in Japan.
Get Free Counseling
300 – The beginning of the Yayoi period. The Yayoi people introduced rice farming.
100 – Metal tools are made of bronze and iron. The main religion is Shinto.
CE
Classic Japan
Classical Japan is the era when the Yamato clan rose to power and became Japan’s first dynasty. It includes the Asuka, Nara, and Heian periods.
500s – Japanese culture is influenced by China. Chinese characters and characters are introduced.
538 – Buddhism arrives in Japan. 593 – Prince Shotoku ascends to the throne. He spread Buddhism and brought peace to Japan.
752 – The Great Buddha of Nara is completed.
781 – Emperor Kanmu reigns over Japan.
794 – The capital is moved from Nara to Kyoto.
Medieval Japan
This period is sometimes called the feudal period of Japan. The country was ruled by powerful warlords called daimyo and their leaders called shoguns. These warlords often fought each other.
1192 – Yoritomo is appointed as the first shogun and the Kamakura Shogunate is established.
1274 – The Mongol army led by Kublai Khan attempts to invade Japan, but a typhoon destroys most of the Mongol navy and fails.
1333 – The Kenmu Restoration takes place and the Kamakura Shogunate is overthrown.
1336 – Shogun Ashikaga comes to power.
1467 – The Onin War broke out.
1543 – Portuguese arrive in Japan with firearms.
1549 – Christianity is introduced by Franz Xavier.
1590 – Japan is unified under the leadership of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He establishes the Edo Shogunate.
Edo Period
The Edo period was a period of relative peace and prosperity, with centralized government under the shogunate. As the economy grew, merchants became more powerful.
1592 – Japan invades Korea.
1614 – Christianity is banned in Japan and Christian priests are deported.
1635 – Japan is isolated from the rest of the world and entry is restricted to all foreigners except a few Chinese and Dutch merchants. This quarantine will last for more than 200 years.
1637 – The Shimabara Rebellion occurs in protest against the persecution of Christians.
1703 – 46 ronin (masterless samurai) were ordered to commit seppuku (suicide) in revenge.
1707 – Mt. Fuji erupts. 1854 – American Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Japan and signs a treaty opening trade with Japan. Japanese isolationism is over.
1862 – British merchant Charles Richardson is murdered, and conflict erupts between Britain and Japan.
Empire of Japan
During this period, Japan became a unified nation ruled by an emperor. It also expands, colonizes, and conquers neighboring countries such as Taiwan and South Korea.
1868 – Emperor Meiji seizes power as the Edo Shogunate loses power. The Empire of Japan is born.
1869 – Emperor Meiji moves to Edo City and renames it Tokyo.
1894 – Japan and China are at war. Japan continues to acquire territory, including Taiwan.
1904 – Japan goes to war with Russia. Japan is growing and developing into a world power.
1910 – Korea is officially annexed as a Japanese colony.
1914 – World War I begins. Japan joins alliance with Germany’s allies.
1918 – World War I ends. Japan wins a seat on the Council of the League of Nations.
1923 – The Great Kanto Earthquake devastated much of Tokyo and Yokohama.
1926 – Hirohito becomes emperor.
1931 – Japan invades and conquers Manchuria.
1937 – Japan launches a major invasion of China, capturing major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.
1939 – World War II begins.
1941 – Japan allies with Germany and attacks the United States at Pearl Harbor.
1945 – The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders and World War II ends. America occupies Japan.
Democratic Japan
1947 – The Constitution of Japan comes into force.
1952 – US occupation ends. Japan regains its independence.
1964 – The Summer Olympics are held in Tokyo.
1968 – Japan becomes the second largest economy in the world.
1972 – The United States returns Okinawa to Japan.
1989 – Emperor Hirohito passes away.
2011 – Earthquake and tsunami cause extensive damage, including radioactive leaks from nuclear power plants.
Japan History Highlights:
Japan is an island nation made up of well over 6000 islands. The four largest islands make up the largest portion of the country’s area. In the 8th century, Japan was united into a powerful nation ruled by a single emperor. In 794, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to what is now Kyoto. This marked the beginning of Japan’s Heian period, and gave birth to much of today’s Japanese culture, including art, literature, poetry, and music.
From the 10th to the 11th century, Japan entered the feudal era. It was at this time that the samurai, the ruling class of samurai, came to power. The leaders of the most powerful samurai clans were called shoguns. In 1467, a civil war called the Onin War broke out. It was between a shogun and a feudal warlord called a daimyo. Japan was reunified in 1590 under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The Portuguese came to Japan in the 16th century. They started trading and learned about European society and the West. However, in the 1630s the general closed off foreign contacts and trade. This policy was called isolation. Japan remained closed to foreigners for over 200 years. In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States forced Japan to restore relations with the world. Japan became an empire ruled by an emperor.
During World War II, Japan formed an alliance with the Axis powers Germany and Italy. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States and bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. As a result, the United States entered the war on the Allied side. In 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered. In 1947, Japan passed a constitution under a democratic government. Since then, Japan has grown into the world’s largest economy.