Prologue: From the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War

Abstract

The 'Meiji Restoration' took place in Japan. Before the Restoration Japan was a feudal society, orderly, stable, rich and in its own way with a highly civilized culture. It was governed by a class of warriors (samurai), which effectively controlled the class of farmers, producers and merchants. At a time when the Meiji government's efforts were directed primarily towards the creation of a strong government based on a strong economy, two major issues weighed heavily in the area of foreign policy. These two issues were essential if Japan was to secure equal footing with the Euro-American powers of the international community. In June Japan lost a historic naval battle at Midway, in February 1943 it had to abandon an important strategic island in the Pacific Ocean, Guadalcanal. In the course of 1944 United States (US) troops successively occupied South Pacific islands such as Palau and Saipan.Keywords: Japan; Meiji Restoration; Pacific Ocean; United States (US)