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60 of 60 events · showing 21–40

The Story of

Japan

250 – 2026

Island country in East Asia

  1. Convention of Kanagawa

    31 March 1864

    The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty (神奈川条約, Kanagawa Jōyaku) or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity (日米和親条約, Nichibei Washin Jōyaku), was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March 31, 1854. Signed under threat of force, it effectively meant the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion (sakoku) by opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels.

  2. Battle of Toba-Fushimi

    31 January 1868

    The Battle of Toba–Fushimi (鳥羽・伏見の戦い, Toba-Fushimi no Tatakai) occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa Domains clashed near Fushimi, a town near Kyoto, the sacred capital, and fighting progressed to the Toba road leading to Osaka, with the initial rout of the Satsuma from Fushimi.

  3. Meiji era

    23 October 1868 – 30 July 1912

    The Meiji era (明治時代, Meiji jidai) was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era dominated the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western imperial powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation state and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas.

  4. Russo-Japanese War

    8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905

    The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the Liaodong Peninsula and near Mukden in Southern Manchuria, with naval battles taking place in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan.

  5. Taishō era

    30 July 1912 – 25 December 1926

    The Taishō era (大正時代, Taishō jidai; [taiɕoː dʑidai] ) was a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912, to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor brought on the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen (or genrō) to the Imperial Diet of Japan and the democratic parties.

  6. Rice Riots of 1918

    1918

    The rice riots of 1918 (Japanese: 米騒動, Hepburn: kome sōdō) were a series of popular disturbances that swept across Japan from July to September 1918. Lasting for over eight weeks, the riots were the largest, most widespread, and most violent popular uprising in modern Japanese history, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Terauchi Masatake administration.

  7. Shōwa era

    25 December 1926 – 7 January 1989

    The Shōwa era (昭和時代, Shōwa jidai; [ɕoːwadʑidai] ) was a period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the Taishō era and succeeded by the Heisei era.

  8. Soviet–Japanese border conflicts

    1 March 1932 – 16 September 1939

    The Soviet–Japanese border conflicts were a series of minor and major conflicts fought between the Soviet Union (led by Joseph Stalin), Mongolia (led by Khorloogiin Choibalsan) and Japan (led by Hirohito) in Northeast Asia from 1932 to 1939. The Japanese expansion in Northeast China created a common border between Japanese-occupied Manchuria and the Soviet Far East.

  9. World War II

    1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945

    World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries were involved, with many engaging in total war on an unprecedented scale.

  10. Battle of the Philippine Sea

    19 June 1944 – 20 June 1944

    The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious reconquest of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War.

  11. Battle of Okinawa

    1945

    The Battle of Okinawa (Japanese: 沖縄戦, Hepburn: Okinawa-sen), codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by the United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army. The initial invasion of Okinawa on 1 April 1945 was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The Kerama Islands surrounding Okinawa were preemptively captured on 26 March 1945 by the U.S. Army 77th Infantry Division.

  12. Battle of Iwo Jima

    8 February 1945 – 26 March 1945

    The Battle of Iwo Jima (硫黄島の戦い, Iōtō no Tatakai,or Iōjima no Tatakai; 19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Navy (USN), and United States Army (USA) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the goal of capturing the island with its two airfields: South Field and Central Field. The Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden…

  13. Occupation of Japan

    28 August 1945

    Japan was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II from the surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, at the war's end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect on April 28, 1952. The occupation, led by the American military with support from the British Commonwealth and under the supervision of the Far Eastern Commission, involved a total of nearly one million Allied soldiers.

  14. Japanese Instrument of Surrender

    2 September 1945

    The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the printed agreement that formalized the surrender of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from Japan and from the Allied nations: the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The signing took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay just after 09:00 Japan Standard Time (JST) and took effect at 09:25 JST on 2 September 1945.

  15. Korean War

    25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953

    The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations led by the United States under the auspices of the United Nations Command (UNC).

  16. Treaty of San Francisco

    8 September 1951

    The Treaty of San Francisco, also called the Treaty of Peace with Japan, re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allies on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and including World War II. It was signed by 49 nations on September 8, 1951, in San Francisco, United States, at the War Memorial Opera House. Italy and China were not invited, the latter due to disagreements on whether the Republic of China or the People's Republic of China represented the Chinese people.

  17. Security Treaty Between the United States and Japan

    8 September 1951 – 23 June 1960

    The Security Treaty between the United States and Japan (日本国とアメリカ合衆国との間の安全保障条約, Nippon-koku to Amerika Gasshūkoku to no aida no anzen hoshō jōyaku) was a treaty signed on September 8, 1951 in San Francisco, California, by representatives of the United States and Japan, in conjunction with the Treaty of San Francisco that ended World War II in Asia. The treaty was imposed on Japan by the United States as a condition for ending the occupation of Japan and restoring Japan's sovereignty as a nation.

  18. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan

    19 January 1960

    The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, more commonly known as the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty in English and as the Anpo jōyaku or just Anpo in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defend each other if one or the other is attacked "in the territories under the administration of Japan". Over time, it has established a military alliance between the United States and Japan.

  19. 1964 Summer Olympics

    10 October 1964 – 24 October 1964

    The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 1964, were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki due to Japan's invasion of China, before ultimately being cancelled due to World War II. The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were the first Olympic Games held in the city and, as of 2021, the only ones to have spectators, as the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were conducted without…

  20. Expo '70

    1970

    The Japan World Exposition, Osaka, 1970 (日本万国博覧会, Nihon Bankoku Hakuran-kai) or Expo '70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, between 15 March and 13 September 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as Ōsaka Banpaku (大阪万博).