Page 4 - Japan Destination Guide - Alluring Asia

World War I to 1952 Tokyo Harbor on September 2 1945. As a result of World War I permitted Japan which fought on the side World War II Japan lost all of its overseas possessions of the victorious Allies to expand its influence in Asia and retained only the home islands. Manchukuo was and its territorial holdings in the Pacific. The postwar dissolved and Manchuria was returned to China; era brought Japan unprecedented prosperity. Japan Japan renounced all claims to Formosa; Korea was went to the peace conference at Versailles in 1919 as granted independence; southern Sakhalin and the one of the great military and industrial powers of the Kuriles were occupied by the U.S.S.R.; and the United world and received official recognition as one of the States became the sole administering authority of the "Big Five" of the new international order. It joined the Ryukyu Bonin and Volcano Islands. The 1972 League of Nations and received a mandate over Pacific reversion of Okinawa completed the United States' islands north of the equator formerly held by Germany. return of control of these islands to Japan. During the 1920s Japan progressed toward a After the war Japan was placed under international democratic system of government. However control of the Allies through the Supreme Commander PAGE 3-4 parliamentary government was not rooted deeply General Douglas MacArthur. U.S. objectives were to Population | Time | Visas enough to withstand the economic and political ensure that Japan would become a peaceful nation and Insurance | History pressures of the 1930s during which military leaders to establish democratic self-government supported by PAGE 5 became increasingly influential. the freely expressed will of the people. Political History | Religion economic and social reforms were introduced such as a freely elected Japanese Diet (legislature). The Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931 and set up the state PAGE 6 country's Constitution took effect on May 3 1947. The of Manchukuo. In 1933 Japan resigned from the League Health | Language of Nations. The Japanese invasion of China in 1937 April 28 1952 Treaty of Peace with Japan afforded a PAGE 7 followed Japan's signing the "anti-Comintern pact" progressive and orderly transition to the restoration of Climate with Nazi Germany the previous year and was part of full sovereignty from the stringent controls immediately following the surrender. PAGE 8 a chain of developments culminating in the Japanese The Land | The People attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor Hawaii on December 7 1941. Recent Political Developments PAGE 9 The post-World War II years saw tremendous Currency | Credit Cards Changing Money | Tipping After almost 4 years of war resulting in the loss of 3 economic growth in Japan with the political system million Japanese lives and including the atomic dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). PAGE 10 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan signed an That total domination lasted until the Diet Lower Etiquette | Taxis House elections on July 18 1993. The LDP in power Safety & Crime instrument of surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri in since the mid-1950s failed to win a majority and saw PAGE 11-12 the end of its four-decade rule. A coalition of new Communications | What to Pack parties and existing opposition parties formed a Health & Vaccinations governing majority and elected a new Prime Minister PAGE 13 Morihiro Hosokawa in August 1993. His government's Shopping | Customs major legislative objective was political reform consisting of a package of new political financing PAGE 14-16 Food & Drinks restrictions and major changes in the electoral system. The coalition succeeded in passing landmark political PAGE 17 reform legislation in January 1994. Culture & The Arts | Religion Under the 1994 legislation the lower house electoral system was changed to one in which 300 members are elected in single-member districts and another 200 members on proportional slates in 11 regions. The new electoral system also reduced the number of seats in overrepresented rural areas and shifted them to some urban areas.