Questions tagged [japan]
An island country in the western Pacific, located east of the Asian mainland.
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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 ...
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4answers
374 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 ...
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2answers
514 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 ...
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2answers
338 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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27 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 ...
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3answers
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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 ...
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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).
...
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1answer
220 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 ...
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1answer
204 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 ...
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2answers
391 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
231 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
806 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 ...
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1answer
876 views
How did East Asia circa 1500 produce cosmetics?
For a work of fiction, I need to know how one would produce cosmetics from the available products at those times (circa 1500).
I imagine I would need
- beeswax, which was probably widely available
- ...
3
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2answers
870 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:
ā¦such as hanging people by their tongues on iron hooks or burying people to their waists and ...
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3answers
934 views
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 ...
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0answers
495 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 ...
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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, ...
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1answer
363 views
Did Anza find evidence of a Japanese wreck?
Through the age of sail Japanese sea drifters involuntarily crossed the Pacific. The sengokubune ship which tended to lose its rudder in storms and drift nearly endlessly. Several made it to North ...
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1answer
258 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 ...
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2answers
385 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
716 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 ...
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1answer
235 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
195 views
Where do the ethics of shounen anime come from?
shonen, or shounen (å°å¹“) 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 ...
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1answer
8k views
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 ...
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4answers
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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?
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1answer
255 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 ...
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1answer
151 views
Can someone give me the history on this Japanese Crest symbol
What is the History and meaning of the symbol #23 (äøøć«äøę) in this image?
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1answer
381 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 ...
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1answer
224 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 ...
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1answer
260 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
161 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 ...
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1answer
270 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 ...
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3answers
525 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,...
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2answers
223 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
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1answer
296 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?
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3answers
454 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 ...
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95 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 ...
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3answers
797 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 ...
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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?
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1answer
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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 ...
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2answers
898 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
...
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1answer
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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 ...
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4answers
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When/how did Harry Truman give the order to bomb Hiroshima?
Am I correct in assuming that Truman and only Truman had the authority to order the bombing of Hiroshima? After all, it was the very first A-bomb and procedures may not have been formalized yet. It ...
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1answer
289 views
Why did the GHQ not promote English during the occupation? [closed]
I wonder why GHQ did not force Japanese people to use the English language during the occupation, or at least add English to one of its official languages, much like Hong Kong under occupation by UK. ...
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2answers
5k views
Why did the Japanese withdraw from Siberia in 1922?
According to Wikipedia the Japanese were the de facto leaders of the foreign anti-Bolshevik intervention in Siberia during the Russian Civil War. The other foreign powers pulled out by 1920, ...
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1answer
407 views
Why do people not talk about Tokyo fire bombing during WW2? [closed]
I was wondering why Hiroshima and Nagasaki are remembered as some of the most devastating attacks during WW2; but, the Tokyo firebombing March 9, 1945āwhich caused more casualties and was a really ...
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1answer
292 views
Why is the Jewel Voice Broadcast called that?
I can't seem to find out the reason behind the naming of the audio Jewel Voice Broadcast.
I learned that this broadcast was the first instance of the Emperor directly communicating to masses. I can ...
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1answer
696 views
Are records on the meetings of the Japanese war council during 1945 publicly available?
There is lately some interest to the question of the Japanese surrender in august 1945 and the motivations of the Japanese government for doing so and doing it in the way they did. E.g. it is voiced ...
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0answers
108 views
How did Heian Era Japanese Clans work? (esp. Taira vs. Minamoto)
Wikipedia tells me that certain children of emperors were demoted (removed from the royal lineage) and assigned to Taira as well as Minamoto "clans" during the Heian period.
How did this work?
Was ...
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3answers
7k views
Why were there so few American deaths in the Bataan Death March?
There was estimated to be 500-650 American deaths during the Bataan death march while there was estimated to be 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths, according to Wikipedia. I can't wrap my head around why ...
