Questions tagged [japan]
An island country in the western Pacific, located east of the Asian mainland.
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Why was the wording on war in Japan's postwar constitution so much stronger than in Germany's or Italy's?
From Hathway and Shapiro (2017):
The Allies supervised the drafting of new constitutions for each of the Axis powers and enshrined the prohibition on war into each state’s own governing documents. ...
2
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0answers
57 views
What is the Diet when referring to Post-War Japan? [closed]
I'm currently doing a study on America's influence on Post-War Japan and it mentions a lot about a group called 'The Diet' and I can't find any information on who they actually are. Can anyone help ...
5
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3answers
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What was the main purpose in Japan trying to capture the Dutch East Indies oil fields intact?
The Dutch East Indies campaign saw Japan try to capture the Dutch East Indies oilfields intact, i.e. before the local troops destroyed them:
After these main objectives in Borneo were completed, the ...
11
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2answers
1k views
How did himuros operate for storing and transporting ice in Heian Japan?
I'm trying to learn more about himuros (ice houses) and ice transportation in 1000 AD Japan. Does anyone have good articles, or can describe in more detail what they looked like, and how ice was ...
20
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1answer
2k views
Were taiko drums used to determine village sizes?
Were taiko drums used to determine village size? If so, when was this practice in use?
In 'Full Circle', Michael Palin says that the taiko drums were used to determine village sizes in pre-industrial ...
2
votes
1answer
144 views
Which crown features on the Japanese Order of the Precious Crown?
The Order of the Precious Crown features a crown on its badge. I cannot determine which crown this is.
The order was founded in 1888 by Emperor Meiji, who I cannot find depicted wearing or with any ...
2
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0answers
65 views
What was Higo domain's relevance with respect to the Meiji Restoration and later (internal) politics?
Normally, when the Meiji Restoration is considered, the "victors" are listed as Satsuma, Chōshū, and Tosa. This materialised in Satsuma and Choshu leading Imperial Japan's Army while Satsuma and Tosa ...
23
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5answers
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Was it possible for a young Japanese woman to end up enslaved in Great Britain in the mid-1600s?
I'm inspired to ask this by the horror visual novel The Letter, which chiefly regards a haunted building called the Ermengarde mansion, in the fictional English town of Anslem, near the equally-...
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2answers
9k views
Did the leaflets from the US to Hiroshima/Nagasaki civilians on bombing cities reduce the civilian casualties of the two nuclear bombs in August 1945?
I read on Wikipedia
Various leaflets were dropped on Japan, three versions showing the names of 11 or 12 Japanese cities targeted for destruction by firebombing. The other side contained text stating ...
2
votes
2answers
165 views
What is the origin and significance of karahafu (唐破風)?
The karahafu (唐破風) is perhaps the most instantly recognisable Japanese architectural feature, yet it's origins are not well established in Western literature. Folk etymology suggests that the style ...
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0answers
110 views
Did the Japenese consider the atomic bomb no worse than any other bomb? [duplicate]
I read another article asserting that the US needlessly dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, but this one had a different spin: the Soviets had already defeated the Japanese. It basically lays out the ...
11
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4answers
485 views
How did Soviet soldiers resist tanks during the battle of Shumshu?
During the battle of Shumshu, it is claimed in the Wikipedia article that forces ratio was as follow:
Japan side: 8 500 personnel (combatant and non combatant?) and 77 tanks
Russian side: up to 9 000 ...
7
votes
2answers
544 views
Why did animation become so huge in Japan compared to other countries?
I'd like a general explanation of the historical/cultural reasons that have made anime in Japan so big.
There's clearly disproportion between the Japanese population (I doubt that at any moment since ...
4
votes
2answers
369 views
How did Japan build an extensive rail network in Greater Tokyo?
Their rail network is like a spider web and also wondering how most of the lines are at-grade or eleveted excluding Tokyo Metro/Toei Subway lines, even though the suburbs are very dense with buldings. ...
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0answers
28 views
Why the Ottoman Empire failed to match Europe whereas Japan managed to? [duplicate]
It seems as if the overall result of the numerous 'reforms' instituted to 'develop and revive' the heavily declining Ottoman Empire eventually was nothing more than to imitate European lifestyle in ...
26
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3answers
6k views
Are there incidents of ronin travelling outside Japan as soldiers of fortune?
There are time periods where large numbers of ronin flocked to Edo, and roamed the Japanese countryside looking for some source of income; generally during and right after the Senegoku period and ...
15
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4answers
6k views
Why would anyone from Japan be in Northern India in early 1900s?
I am trying to write a fictional history novel.
Can someone tell me why a young man from a wealthy, samurai family from Japan would be in Northern India in the early 1900s (after WW1, before WWII).
...
1
vote
1answer
241 views
What evidence is there of tank-vs-tank combat in Asia during the second world war?
It has been known that the Japanese army during the Second World War did not value tanks highly and as such they were not always used effectively and had significantly worse characteristics than ...
2
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1answer
274 views
How did British aircraft fare against Japanese aircraft during the Second World War? [closed]
It goes without saying that both the Supermarine Spitfire used by the UK and the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero are iconic fighter aircraft of the Second World War. But how did these aircraft fare when they ...
2
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2answers
476 views
If the Allies had invaded Japan in 1945, would they have been fighting the “weakest” Japanese troops?
Sources such as Basil Collier's "The Second World War: A Military History" list the Japanese forces during the war as being 6 million. My understanding is that the background of these troops is ...
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2answers
260 views
How long did it take for Japanese high command to believe 1 bomb could destroy a city? [closed]
In 1776, had a man walked into the Continental Congress and told the Founding Fathers that the city of Boston seemed to be "gone". A few days prior, as he approached Boston, in the distance he'd seen ...
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4answers
921 views
Why didn't the Japanese develop air defenses after the bombing of Tokyo?
So, I was reading some WWII questions, and a couple of them mentioned the bombing of Tokyo. I had never heard of it before, so I decided to read up on it.
What I don't understand about it is Japan's ...
3
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2answers
933 views
Were the Nazis actually ever horrified of anything that the Imperial Japanese Army did or vice-versa?
While reading Rationalwiki page on the Rape of Nanjing part of the article really stood out to me:
…such as hanging people by their tongues on iron hooks or burying people to their waists and ...
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3answers
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Why did Japan never “apologize” enough for World War 2?
Although Japan kept "apologizing" for atrocities committed during World War 2 for more than 70 years, the apologies were deemed "not sincere enough" by the victims.
This stands in huge contrast with ...
3
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0answers
524 views
When did Easter Island start to become such a frequent participant in Japanese Comics?
I recently came across a lot of questions on Anime and Manga Stack Exchange by this user who is the
curator of an exhibition on Easter Island in popular culture (http://www.moaiculture.com)
I ...
54
votes
2answers
12k views
Why does Japan use the same type of AC power outlet as the US?
Does it have something to do with the US taking part in aiding reconstruction of the country after WWII? I've tried googling around for an answer, but every site I find simply states the outlet style, ...
2
votes
1answer
268 views
What effects did World War II have on Japanese animation industry?
I was recently looking up the effects of the world war on Japanese Animation Industry after I made the following observations
It is quite common to see German names in Japanese Anime which could be ...
3
votes
2answers
435 views
Did Midway provide the strategic opportunity Japan sought? [closed]
We all know that the Battle of Midway was a disaster for the Japanese Empire, and a turning point of the Pacific War. Events did not turn out as the IJN had hoped. But the result by no means was a ...
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0answers
943 views
Did a sumo referee ever actually commit ritual suicide over a reversed decision?
The sport of Sumo wrestling has picked up quite a few traditions during its long history. One of these traditions is that the tate-gyoji, the two most senior referees, wear a knife. This knife ...
2
votes
1answer
286 views
Were the Japanese aware of Desmond Doss's actions?
I read about the amazing story of Desmond Doss and wonder if the Japanese at all aware, during the Battle of Okinawa of the extent of his actions at the time? I know a few individual Japanese would ...
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0answers
220 views
Where do the ethics of shounen anime come from?
shonen, or shounen (少年) anime (shows like Naruto, Dragon Ball, My Hero Academia, etc.) all (for the most part) realize a certain set of values, which are usually central to their plots and which the ...
14
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1answer
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How could it be that 80% of townspeople were farmers during the Edo period in Japan?
I've read in the book "A modern history of Japan" by Andrew Gordon and other articles, that most of the Japanese townspeople were farmers(about 80% I suppose) during the Edo period. But according to ...
14
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4answers
3k views
Why did WWI include Japan?
WWI mainly developed in Europe. It only included the USA because Germans attacked a US ship. What did Japan have to do with Europe?
2
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1answer
261 views
How did Japan get so many Nobel Prizes?
Japan in the last 80 years has earned nearly 30 Nobel Prizes, which is more than any other Asian country (at least two of which dwarf it in terms of population). In the 21'st century, only the United ...
0
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1answer
168 views
Can someone give me the history on this Japanese Crest symbol
What is the History and meaning of the symbol #23 (丸に七曜) in this image?
5
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1answer
447 views
Why do schools in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea use the Westminster Quarters as school chime?
Today, I read about the Westminister Quarters, the chime used by Big Ben in Westminster, London. In that article, I see this assertion:
Most schools in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea play the ...
1
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1answer
245 views
What was the postage from Japan to US in 1945?
I was wondering how many postage stamps it would require to send a letter from Japan to the US (and vice versa) around 1945, and during the occupation? And perhaps you might know what the stamps ...
0
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1answer
264 views
Did Japan have secret films about going into the US in the 40s?
This film (narrated by Ronald Regan) was produced in the 40s. It discusses detailed planning for an air mission into an area in Japan.
Did Japan have similar fims in the time period to aid them in ...
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1answer
165 views
Did the citizens of US really back the declaration of war on Japanese Empire as it was implied by F.D. Roosevelt in his Pearl Harbor Speech? [closed]
December 7th, 1941, was the date that was to live in infamy, as mentioned by F.D. Roosevelt in his Pearl Harbor speech. Overall, the speech was quite straightforward in its goal: assurance to the ...
5
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1answer
273 views
Is there any economic history account of the role of Japan's precious metal deposits in the roles of the country's early industrialization?
The Japanese archipelago is generally scarce in natural resources, but Japan has a large deposit of precious metals in the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, and a few other mines, to a smaller extent. Japan ...
8
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3answers
546 views
Did Imperial Japan persecute Slavic people, as European fascists did?
Over the interwar period, fascist governments in Europe heavily promoted anti-Slavic propaganda. In Germany, they were labelled as Untermensch alongside the Jews, and in Italy, Slavic media, languages,...
0
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2answers
226 views
What anti-Japanese guerrilla units were active in Manchuria from 1944-1945?
I am writing a historical fiction novel with a North Korean protagonist joining anti-Japanese guerrilla forces in Manchuria in 1944.
I understand that major anti-Japanese resistance in Manchuria was ...
4
votes
1answer
301 views
Why did this post card not allow communication with Japan?
In this postcard posted in Canterbury on 21 July 1908 (I assume) it is marked that:
This space may be used for communication for Inland Postage and Foreign Countries, except Japan.
Why?
2
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3answers
461 views
What is this 120 yr old Japanese tool?
I bought this from an antique shop in Japan. Beside the price tag it said it was 120 years old. The shop owner didn't speak much English. All he kept saying was "boat" and kept making a motion like ...
0
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0answers
98 views
After the Japanese declaration of War, what happened to the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC? [duplicate]
The Japanese Declaration of War against the UK and USA was given on 1941 Dec 7. This happened in Washington DC via the Japanese Embassy.
I would like to know what happened to that embassy and the ...
6
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3answers
824 views
What were the flaws in the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey?
According to this source, "Some historians have identified flaws in the [U.S. Strategic Bombing] survey, based on contemporary evidence." I have unsuccessfully searched the internet for these ...
27
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7answers
9k views
Was Japan known to be a potential threat to the USA in the 10 year period prior to 1941
In the years leading up to the Pearl Harbor attack, did non-military Americans see Japan as a potential threat to the USA?
21
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1answer
5k views
Was there a Japanese equivalent of the Gestapo during WW2
Colonial Japanese rule on occupied territories has been described as harsh as has been their treatment of prisoners of war. In some cases, this was not a fleeting occupation but one lasting years or ...
4
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2answers
975 views
Why couldn't the Ottoman Empire modernise at the same time as Meiji Japan did? [closed]
It appears to me that Japan modernised during the late 19th century to come to a level of advancement comparable to Western powers was, unlike Ottoman Empire
Japan had universal compulsory education
...
14
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1answer
2k views
How many pens were used by MacArthur to end the final chapter of World War II and where are they now?
General Douglas MacArthur counter-signs the Japanese instrument of surrender as Supreme Allied Commander aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945. Standing behind him are Generals ...
